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Historic Jack London

gallery: oakland's earliest business district

Broadway Parade, 1923

Tom Mix on a horse at the intersection of 2nd and Broadway in Oakland, the building on the right is today, Slainte!

Oakland's First Post Office, 1851

The first post office in Oakland opened in 1851 at the corner of Main Street (later renamed Broadway) and 1st Street (now Embarcadero West), in Oakland’s first hotel, the Oakland House. The United States Post Office finally recognized Oakland as a legitimate address in 1855.

Howard Terminal from the water, 1920s

The Howard Company was one of the earliest and most prolific developers of the Oakland waterfront.

Empire Foundry Co., 3rd & Broadway, 1909

Founded in 1903, the Empire Foundry Co. moved to the corner of 3rd & Broadway in 1909. The company manufactured hardware for machinery and mining. They were particularly known for producing iron mantle grates. Today the Ellington stands in its place.

California Ice Co., 2nd & Broadway, 1902

The California Ice Co., est. 1902, produced sixty tons of ice per day and handled perishable goods in its cold storage rooms. The building was located on the corner of 2nd & Broadway, but is no longer standing.

Buswell Paint Co., 4th & Broadway, 1888

E.G. Buswell & Co. redeveloped the southeast corner of Broadway & 4th in 1888. The company manufactured a varied line of paints and colors, enamels, stains and varnishes, and distributed its products internationally. Many historic buildings in Oakland were painted with Buswell paint.

Western Pacific Depot Celebration, 1910

Welcomed by a crowd of Bay Area residents and a commemorative arch, the first train arrived into the Western Pacific Railroad Depot on August 22, 1910. The depot still stands today on the corner of 3rd & Washington. It is currently being used as office space.

Railway Station, 32d & Broadway, 1910s

3rd St. Union Pacific Railroad Track, 1950s

The famous California Zephyr train pulls out of the Western Pacific Railroad Depot sometime in the 1950s. The majority of the train tracks on 3rd St have been removed, but some remnants in the eastern part of the district remain.

Union Iron Works Ship Yard, 1917

Howard Terminal, 1911, 1st & Market St.

One of many warehouses operated by the Howard Company, c. 1911. The company incorporated in 1899 and operated on 18 acres along what is still known today as the Howard Terminal. The primary business of the company was in coal trade and the manufacture of coal briquettes, but also had a large feed and grain business.

One of the roles of the Jack London Improvement District is to raise awareness of the historical importance of the Waterfront Warehouse District and its distinct role in the history of Oakland. We do this by creating high-impact fixtures and interactive programing to engage residents, employees, and visitors within the District.

Wholesale Produce Market

The Jack London Wholesale Produce Market began in 1916 near 4th St and Franklin St and is still in operation today from Franklin Street between 1st to 5th Streets, one block north of Jack London Square. Many Oaklanders may not even be aware of its existence as it only operates at night and the wee hours of the morning (about 1am-7am).

In a segment hosted by Great Big Story, we learned that the Oakland Zookeepers make use of Jack London's Wholesale Produce Market. In the video, we follow Stacy Kyles the Commissary Supervisor for the Oakland Zoo, as she shops for her very picky eaters. Did you know the Zoo prepares nearly 1000 separate diets every day?

Our recent work with the produce market has included placemaking and branding in the form of colorful pole wraps, No Dumping signage, and keychains and instructions translated into 3 languages and distributed to produce market operators.

We're proud to see this historic market thrive and excited to see its value to the community.

Waterfront Warehouse District signage

We collaborated with our design partner Gyroscope to install brand-new trash cans throughout the district that highlight historically significant buildings throughout the Waterfront Warehouse District.

Gyroscope helped come up with the concept design in 2018, and we installed 20 restored trash cans along 3rd and 4th streets in 2021.

*Map of trash can locations in the district*

The cans "frame" key historic buildings in the district that are still standing. Each one comes with a short description of the building's story, and handy icons that tell you the building's number in the historical record, its architectural style, and the designer. And of course, they help keep the district clean.

Come see them in person using the map or check out the placards below!

Concept Design

Final Building Placards

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