Waterfront Warehouse District in Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Waterfront Warehouse District
For most of the 20th century Oakland’s Waterfront Warehouse District was a center for the collection and distribution of food products, capitalizing on Oakland’s strategic position as a center of rail, truck, and port traffic.
Around 1900, this waterfront area east of Broadway was still largely residential, with single-family homes, a school, a large park, a synagogue, and churches. Southern Pacific trains ran along 7th Street and along the waterfront at 1st Street. In 1909, the Western Pacific Railroad laid tracks along 3rd Street and built a freight depot at Harrison. Gradually warehouses and industrial buildings began to replace the houses between 1st and 7th Streets, and the area became an industrial district. Now rehabilitation and new construction have brought residential and mixed-use buildings back to this unique area.
The Waterfront Warehouse District of 33 buildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The listed District is bordered by Nimitz Freeway and Chinatown to the north, both sides of 3rd Street on the south, Webster Street on the west, and Jackson Street on the east.
A National Register Historic District
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1900.
Location. 37° 47.714′ N, 122° 16.336′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in the Waterfront Warehouse District. Marker is at the intersection of 3rd Street and Harrison Street, on the right when traveling east on 3rd Street. The marker is atop an orange metal trash can at the street corner. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Oakland CA 94607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Poultry Producers of Central California Distribution Center (a few steps from this marker); Western Pacific Freight Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Oakland Plumbing Supply, P.E. O’Hair & Co. (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); S&W Fine Foods Warehouse (about 300 feet away); George A. Posey Tube Oakland Portal (about 300 feet away); Prime Smoked Meats (about 300 feet away); Saroni Wholesale Sugar & Rice (about 300 feet away); Fourth Street Circa 1962 (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.
More about this marker. The Waterfront Warehouse District has special covered trash cans on street corners, with historical markers atop the covers.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 51 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 12, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 3. submitted on July 5, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.