16th Street station (Oakland)

Former train station in the Prescott neighborhood of Oakland, California February 2025 November 2023 Amtrak Amtrak old Oakland Oaklandstation2007.JPG Oakland 16th Street Station, main entrance, December 2007 1601 Wood Street, Oakland, Californiahttp://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19931031nr&item=0008 Amtrak National Timetable Revised Edition: Fall/Winter 1993/1994 Amtrak The Museum of Railway Timetables 8 February 14, 1994 United States 37 48 56.1 N 122 17 48.3 W type:landmark_region:US-CA inline,title yes 14 Martinez Subdivision 1870s August 21, 1994 August 3, 1912 OAK BUILD Former services yes Amtrak California Zephyr (1983–1994) Emeryville Capitols (1991–1998) Fremont Emeryville (1991–1993) Coast Starlight San Jose Emeryville San Joaquin (1974–1994) Emeryville (1974–1993) Spirit of California Richmond San Jose (1981–1983) San Francisco Zephyr Richmond Southern Pacific Railroad Shasta Route Berkeley Oakland Pier Overland Route Berkeley Oakland Pier San Joaquin Berkeley Oakland Pier Oakland Pier City of San Francisco Oakland Pier Berkeley 18th Street Until 1933 Oakland Pier Wood Berkeley Until 1939 Oakland Pier Oakland Pier 34th Street California Street Until 1933 Oakland Pier 34th Street Ninth Street Until 1939 Oakland Pier Oakland Pier 34th Street Seventh Street 1939–1941 Transbay Terminal Pine Street Lincoln Avenue 1939–1941 Transbay Terminal Pearl Street Encinal Avenue 1939–1941 Transbay Terminal Pearl Street yes Southern Pacific 16th Street Station and 16th Street Tower 100011288 January 21, 2025 Jarvis Hunt yes ODL 81 1984 16th Street station (Oakland Central) is a former Southern Pacific Railroad station in the Prescott neighborhood of Oakland, California, United States. The Beaux-Arts building was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt, a preeminent railroad station architect, and opened in 1912. The station has not been served by trains since 1994. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2025 under the name Southern Pacific 16th Street Station and 16th Street Tower. History Southern Pacific thumb|left|The original station in 1910 The original 16th Street depot was a smaller wood structure, built in the 1870s when the tracks were on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay.https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/CA_Alameda%20County_16th%20Street%20Station_10-900_Draft.pdf National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Southern Pacific 16th Street Station and 16th Street Tower April 1, 2024 National Park Service Brunzell Historical/Oakland Heritage Alliance Later the shoreline was filled and now lies nearly a mile west. Local horsecar service to the station began in January 1880 when the Fourteenth Street Railroad was extended down 16th Street.Brevities https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-times-brevities/161115297/ 18 December 2024 Oakland Daily Times Newspapers.com January 7, 1880 Oakland, California 3 The original depot was replaced by a Beaux-Arts building designed by architect Jarvis Hunt which opened for service on August3, 1912.New Sixteenth-Street Depot Open to the Public This Evening https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-enquirer-new-sixteenth-street-de/147962167/ 24 May 2024 Oakland Enquirer Newspapers.com August 3, 1912 Oakland, California 11 thumb|left|1910s postcard of the station For decades the 16th Street station was the main Oakland station for Southern Pacific (SP) through trains, almost entirely replacing the 7th Street station. It was a companion (or "city station") for Oakland Pier, two miles away, where passengers could board ferries to San Francisco.Dahlstrom-Eckman Azul April 14, 2022 How Oakland's 16th Street Train Station Helped Build West Oakland and the Modern Civil Rights Movement en-us KQED https://www.kqed.org/news/11910890/how-oaklands-16th-street-train-station-helped-build-west-oakland-and-the-modern-civil-rights-movement 2022-04-21 (After 1958, the ferries were replaced by buses from 16th Street station to the SP's Third and Townsend Depot.) The elevated platforms were used for the SP-owned East Bay Electric Lines commuter service (renamed Interurban Electric Railway or IER in 1938).Frederick Jennings Some California Railroad Stations The Architect and Engineer of California 48 2 February 1917 https://books.google.com/books?id=p7saAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA31 54 IER trains from Berkeley no longer stopped at 16th Street when railroad service over the Bay Bridge opened on January 15, 1939, as the junction from those lines to the bridge was north of the station. When the IER folded in July 1941, portions of some lines were sold to the competing Key System for use by their transbay trains; however, the Key System only served the station with a surface streetcar line on 16th Street, and did not use the elevated platforms. Major long-distance trains from the station included the Oakland Lark (night train to Los Angeles) and the City of San Francisco (to Chicago).Southern Pacific timetable 1954, Tables 60, 61, 95, 96 Amtrak and replacement thumb|left|Amtrak trains at 16th Street station in 1980 The station also served as the main rail link for points north and east of the Bay Area. San Francisco-area passengers boarded ferries to Oakland Pier, and after 1958 boarded buses to 16th Street. Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail services in 1971, and decided to consolidate most Bay Area service in Oakland, leaving San Francisco as one of the largest cities without direct intercity rail service. The station was severely damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but continued serving trains at an adjacent building.153 Capitols and San Joaquins trains were shifted to the new Emeryville station on August 13, 1993, but long-distance trains continued to use Oakland Central while track work was completed at Emeryville.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71494994/the-san-francisco-examiner/ Amtrak opens new station in Emeryville San Francisco Examiner August 10, 1993 A6 Newspapers.com The Coast Starlight and California Zephyr began stopping at Emeryville on August 5, 1994; they last stopped at Oakland 16th Street on August 21.http://magazine.trainlife.com/prn_1994_10/ Emeryville/16th Street saga finally ends 4 October 1994 Pacific Rail News 371 February 19, 2021 May 10, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210510143352/http://magazine.trainlife.com/prn_1994_10/ dead This left Emeryville as the only Oakland-area stop for Amtrak until the new Oakland–Jack London Square station opened on May 22, 1995.33, 43, 50 Emeryville largely replaced 16th Street station as the connection point for Amtrak Thruway across the bay in San Francisco (for passengers heading northbound towards Seattle or eastbound towards Chicago, or passengers arriving from the north and east), as Emeryville is closer to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge than Oakland–Jack London Square. However, Jack London Square serves as the San Francisco connection for the Coast Starlight (for southbound passengers from San Francisco and northbound passengers heading to San Francisco).October 12, 2020 Amtrak Coast Starlight Timetable https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/temporary-timetables/Coast-Starlight-Schedule-101220.pdf December 12, 2020 AmtrakOctober 5, 2020 Amtrak California Zephyr Timetable https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/temporary-timetables/California-Zephyr-Schedule-100520.pdf December 12, 2020 Amtrak In the mid-1990s, the adjacent railroad tracks were moved west during the construction of Interstate 880 (to replace the earthquake-destroyed Cypress Street Viaduct), which isolated the station from the tracks. The station buildings are largely intact, including the interlocking tower and ironwork elevated platforms. The station was purchased in 2005 by BUILD, an affiliate of BRIDGE Housing, and is being restored as part of a local redevelopment project.http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_11326325 Shuttered but not forgotten: 16th Street depot ready for rebirth Burt Cecily Oakland Tribune MediaNews Group San Jose, California 28 December 2008 18 February 2014http://welcomeaboard.com/d/16thSt.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121014002942/http://welcomeaboard.com/d/16thSt.html October 14, 2012 February 2, 2019 16th Street Station Reuse Planning Process In 2015, the station was used to stage a local opera company's production of Lulu.https://www.sfcv.org/music-news/will-lulu-do-a-karenina-at-west-edge-opera Will Lulu Do a Karenina at West Edge Opera? San Francisco Classical Voice Janos Geberen April 8, 2015 As of 2021, the station is being used as a rented space for private events.https://www.16thstreetstation.com/the-future Renting the Station February 2, 2019 The station and interlocking tower were added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 2025, under the name Southern Pacific 16th Street Station and 16th Street Tower.https://www.kqed.org/news/12024819/historic-landmark-status-boosts-push-restore-iconic-west-oakland-train-station Historic Landmark Status Boosts Push to Restore Iconic West Oakland Train Station Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman January 31, 2025 KQED February 1, 2025https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-2025-01-24.htm Weekly List 2025 01 24 National Park Service January 24, 2025https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/CA_Alameda%20County_16th%20Street%20Station_10-900_Draft.pdf National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Southern Pacific 16th Street Station and 16th Street Tower National Park Service ((Brunzell Historical/Oakland Heritage Alliance)) April 1, 2024 In media The station was used in films including Chu Chu and the Philly Flash,https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50628605/the-san-francisco-examiner/ Ferry commuters set their sights on a motion picture's mirage San Francisco Examiner October 16, 1980 Malcolm Glover D2 Newspapers.com Funny Lady (as Cleveland station),https://books.google.com/books?id=t-bwBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA88 Reel San Francisco Stories: An Annotated Filmography of the Bay Area Lulu 88 Google Books Christopher Pollock 2013 9780578130422 Rent,https://books.google.com/books?id=kfsqasTo2WUC&pg=PT57 Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration 61 Chronicle Books Troy Paiva 2013 9780811875783 Google Books and Hemingway & Gellhorn (as a stand-in for the Hotel Florida).https://oaklandnorth.net/2012/10/01/oaklands-historic-16th-street-station-celebrates-centennial-new-role-in-community/ Oakland's historic 16th Street station celebrates centennial, new role in community Oakland North October 1, 2012 Aaron Mendelson Vanessa Rancañohttps://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/hemingway-and-gellhorn-set-design-slideshow/all The Sets of Hemingway & Gellhorn Architectural Digest Cathy Whitlock December 31, 2011 March 13, 2018 March 14, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180314043037/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/hemingway-and-gellhorn-set-design-slideshow/all dead Multiple music videos have been filmed at the station, including "Babel" by Mumford & Sons and "Tell Me When to Go" by E-40.https://www.sfchronicle.com/music/article/Where-should-Treasure-Island-Music-Festival-2017-9954061.php Where should Treasure Island Music Festival 2017 relocate? San Francisco Chronicle October 7, 2016Aria Rob Preservation of Oakland’s 16th Street Station Takes Big Step Forward with NPS Historic Register Listing https://evilleeye.com/news-commentary/preservation-of-oaklands-16th-street-station-takes-big-step-forward-with-nps-historic-register-listing/ The E'ville Eye 3 February 2025 References External links Oakland Heritage Alliance – 16th Street Station Category:Former Amtrak stations in California Category:History of Oakland, California Category:Amtrak stations in Alameda County, California Category:Railway stations in Oakland, California Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1912 Category:Beaux-Arts architecture in California Category:1912 establishments in California Oakland 16th Category:Oakland Designated Landmarks Category:Repurposed railway stations in the United States Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1994 Category:Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in California Category:National Register of Historic Places in Oakland, California