[Nineties Flava]

My other Oakland work:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=188023

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187990

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187951

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187849

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187319

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187732

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187153

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=187119


There is perhaps no other neighborhood in the bay area that has felt the affect of the economic downturn as much as Jack London Square (JLS). Today was the first time I had been there in a year and a half... half of it - Barnes and Nobles, Tony Roma's, Seafood, etc. - is now gone. The only permanent fixture is the bay itself and the dock. Many have been asking the same question: if Oakland builds another A's stadium, should they put it in JLS? It would certainly bring more foot traffic to the area; it could potentially result in a much-needed BART extension to JLS just like it did with the current Coliseum BART and it would attract people outside of Oakland into the city. JLS has endless potential to be much more than it currently is... what is should be is Oakland's equivalent of Fisherman's Wharf or even just its Ferry Plaza. What it actually is is the definition of wasted potential; literally half of it is an industrial ghost town. While it picks up a little bit later in the day, it still felt empty walking through it... Figuring out how to make this area profitable again SHOULD be one of the Oakland government's premiere goals... we'll see what they end up doing though.



I'll start with 6 pics of Chinatown I took on the way...



Chinatown


http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/2186/dsc02745.jpg

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/650/dsc02746u.jpg

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2334/dsc02747bw.jpg

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http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/97/dsc02751p.jpg

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/5623/dsc02752f.jpg



Jack London Square


http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/1147/dsc02753h.jpg

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http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2350/dsc02877y.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5465/dsc02878t.jpg

And last but not least, the gingerbread house...

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8858/dsc02879os.jpg



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All feedback is greatly appreciated and will be returned promptly.

[ChrisLA]

I stayed here once with my friend cousin, I really like this neighborhood, but that was back in the early 90's. Thanks for sharing, I sure hope they find a solution soon I was a bit sad to see how dead it was the last time I visit JL Square, and this was before the Barnes & Noble had closed. Do you think perhaps Emeryville recent development may have had something to do with the decline of JL Square?
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/6459/dsc02767e.jpg

[Nineties Flava]

I stayed here once with my friend cousin, I really like this neighborhood, but that was back in the early 90's. Thanks for sharing, I sure hope they find a solution soon I was a bit sad to see how dead it was the last time I visit JL Square, and this was before the Barnes & Noble had closed. Do you think perhaps Emeryville recent development may have had something to do with the decline of JL Square?


Yes. Emeryville is much more conveniently placed... it's easily accessible to anybody who commutes from the east bay to SF and vice versa... What it doesn't have at this point that it could use, though, is a BART station. IF JLS plans on surviving the economic downturn, they should start the redevelopment by building a BART station.

[cbg015]

Thanks for posting JLS.

Do you know when the Jack London Market is supposed to open? It keeps on getting delayed. At first it was 2008, then 2009, then 2010...who knows now? The building is in place but I guess they're having a tough time finding tenants with the economy.

I also hope that the Oak-to-Ninth helps transform JLS, though that won't happen for a while.

[xzmattzx]

Nice pictures. I knew that there were a few historic buildings, like the log cabin and the bar nad stuff near there, but I was not sure if a lot more of the neighborhood had old buildings or had newer stuff. It looks like it's mainly new stuff based on your pictures. It that one little area around the log buildings the only real historic part?

[Nineties Flava]

Nice pictures. I knew that there were a few historic buildings, like the log cabin and the bar nad stuff near there, but I was not sure if a lot more of the neighborhood had old buildings or had newer stuff. It looks like it's mainly new stuff based on your pictures. It that one little area around the log buildings the only real historic part?


Most of the historic buildings in JLS at this point are the warehouses... the one I snapped is apparently from 1885. The Port of Oakland itself is historic too (and still in use). In the actual square, I think the only historic buildings are the log cabin, Yoshi's and the regal cinema movie theater. Beyond that, I'm not sure.

[ChiTownCity]

what's up with that house in the second to last pic with the graffiti? Looks like a trap house...

[stepper77]

Great tour! I love this part of Oakland. Regarding access to Jack London Sq, I wonder what impact the weekday "B shuttle" is having. On several occasions, coworkers and I have picked it up on Webster and 20th near our work, to Jack London and back. The free shuttle actually makes the area accessible during a one hour lunch.