The original 16th Street depot was a smaller wood structure, built when the tracks were on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. Later the shoreline was filled and now lies nearly a mile west. It was replaced in 1912 by a Beaux-Arts building designed by architect Jarvis Hunt. For decades the 16th Street station was the main Oakland station for Southern Pacific through trains, almost entirely replacing the 7th Street station. It was a companion for Oakland Pier, two miles away, where passengers could board ferries to San Francisco.. The elevated platforms were used for the SP-owned East Bay Electric Lines commuter service. Many IER trains were expressed past 16th Street when the Bay Bridge opened in 1941. When the IER folded in 1941, some lines were sold to the competing Key System; however, the Key System only served the station with a surface line on 16th Street, and did not use the elevated platforms. 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 Long Wharf, 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. In the 1990s, the adjacent railroad tracks were moved west during the construction of Interstate 880, which isolated the station from the tracks. Amtrak service to 16th Street station ended on August 5, 1994; Oakland passengers used a bus connection from the 1993-opened Emeryville station until Oakland's new main station, Oakland-Jack London Square, opened in 1995. Emeryville largely replaced 16th Street station as the connection point for Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach across the bay in San Francisco, 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 southbound Coast Starlight, along with some Thruway routes to Southern California. 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. In 2015, the station was used to stage a local opera company's production of Lulu. As of 2019, the station is being used as a rented space for private events.
In media
The station was used in films including Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, Funny Lady, RENT, and Hemingway & Gellhorn. Mumford & Sons filmed their music video for "Babel" in the station.
