The History of Jack London Square

exterior of heinhold's first and last chance saloon on jack London square

Strolling through Jack London Square today, with its trendy restaurants, craft coffee shops, breweries and wine-tasting bars, and scenic waterfront trail, you might not guess at its historical roots as a scrappy seaport. But look more closely and you’ll get glimpses of the square’s storied past. The juxtaposition of the old and the new is part of what makes it such an interesting destination, drawing 3 million visitors every year.

Is Jack London Square actually a square? Where is it?

Not in the literal sense. Jack London Square is a waterfront d istrict, not a four-sided plaza. It sits along a stretch of the Oakland waterfront at the foot of Broadway, directly across the Oakland Estuary from Alameda.

When the Port of Oakland rebranded the area in the 1950s, they chose the word “Square” to signal a civic gathering place—similar to other destination districts that use the term more for identity than geometry. The district stretches across several blocks of waterfront, with open plazas and walkways woven through the old port infrastructure, but it has never been a single formal square.

Why is it called Jack London Square?

Jack London spent much of his childhood in Oakland—specifically the Oakland waterfront, which served as his preferred stomping grounds. One of his favorite spots was Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, and he had a special relationship with the owner, Johnny Heinhold. As a young boy, London made special trips to the saloon just to read a dictionary Heinhold kept on the premises. As London grew older, he’d stop in for a drink and to talk with the owner. When he was 17, Heinhold got him a job on a sealing schooner (a voyage that turned out to be the basis for his 1904 novel, The Sea-Wolf), and a few years later Heinhold lent London money for tuition at UC Berkeley (though London only stayed for a semester before dropping out). Even after London found success as a writer, he would visit Heinhold at the saloon and give him a copy of his latest book.

Of course, the area wasn’t called Jack London square back then. That didn’t happen until the 1950s, when the Board of Port Commissioners coined the name and began developing the stretch of waterfront. They tore down several dilapidated buildings but—aware of the rich history behind Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon—left it as it was and built up around it. Over the years, the area has transformed from a humble, hardworking seaport to a thriving waterfront hub.

What original elements of the old waterfront still remain?

Though the square has changed dramatically, several historic features are still intact:

Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon: Oakland’s oldest bar, complete with its famously tilted floor—slanted when the 1906 earthquake caused the pier pilings to sink.
The Jack London Cabin: Reconstructed in 1965 using original logs from London’s Yukon cabin, paired with its twin in Dawson City.
The at-grade railroad tracks: A rare survivor of the shipping-to-rail era, still used by freight trains today.
Preserved warehouse facades: Subtle but visible reminders of the canneries and produce markets that once filled the district.
Historic maritime structures: Piers, bollards, and shoreline infrastructure that date back to the port’s early commercial period.

Together, they create a sense of continuity—a reminder that the modern square is built atop more than a century of industrial activity.

What is Jack London Square like today?

Today, Jack London Square is full of life, drawing crowds year round. Fortunately for residents at Fourth Street East, it’s practically right in our backyard. To get there, just walk west for six blocks on 4th Street, turn left on Broadway and walk three more blocks, and you’ll be there in about 15 minutes.

A visit to the Jack London Cabin is a must—especially for first-time visitors to the square. His original cabin was first built in 1898 on the North Fork of Henderson Creek, south of Dawson City, and then in 1965, the cabin was dismantled and two replicas were reconstructed using the original logs. One replica is still in Dawson City, while the other is, fittingly, in Jack London Square, on the same block as London’s old haunt, Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon.

While you’re there, you can’t miss your opportunity to check out Heinhold’s. Dimly lit with maritime memorabilia cluttering the walls, it looks much like it did when London himself would sidle up to the bar and order a drink.

The other bars and restaurants on the square may not have the rich history that Heinhold’s does, but they have their own appeal. Plank is a crowd favorite, thanks to its 50,000 square feet of space, outdoor beer garden, and bowling, bocce, and arcade games. Yoshi’s, another crowd-pleaser, draws crowds for its Japanese fare and live jazz. Check out more of our favorite foodie spots here.

You can easily pass a day walking the waterfront trail, enjoying the local shops, and maybe even getting out on the water in a kayak or stand-up paddle board. You can find some of our top recreation and shopping recommendations here.

Fun Historical Facts & Trivia

Oyster pirates once worked these very docks. Before Jack London became a writer, he earned money as an oyster pirate, rowing out at night to steal oysters from private beds along the Bay and selling them in Oakland by morning. These same docks were his base of operations.
Heinhold’s tilted floor is a physical scar from the 1906 earthquake. The slanted floor at Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon isn’t a gimmick—it's the result of the pier pilings sinking unevenly after the 1906 earthquake. The owners left it exactly as it shifted.
Jack London practically grew up at Heinhold’s. As a boy, he visited the saloon to read from the dictionary behind the bar. As a teen, he talked philosophy and work with the owner, Johnny Heinhold. And as a published writer, he gifted Heinhold a signed copy of each new book.
One of London’s life-changing opportunities started here. The sealing-schooner job that later inspired The Sea-Wolf was arranged by Johnny Heinhold from this very waterfront. The voyage’s characters and atmosphere were drawn from sailors London met on these docks.
The Jack London Cabin is only half of itself. The cabin in the square is one of two reconstructions built in 1965 using original logs from London’s Yukon home. Its “twin” still stands in Dawson City—together forming one complete provenance story.
The square was a Depression-era gathering point for itinerant workers. In the 1930s, the waterfront became an informal hub for laborers searching for day work, sailors between jobs, and men riding the rails. The atmosphere reflected many of the themes in London’s writing about struggle and working-class life.
Freight trains still run through the heart of the square. The active at-grade railroad tracks—rare for an urban waterfront—are a direct relic of the district’s original ship-to-rail freight network. They remain one of the clearest ties to the square’s industrial past.
The waterfront once held canneries, warehouses, and coffee importers. Before redevelopment, the area around the square stored produce, lumber, canned goods, maritime supplies, and coffee. The preserved warehouse facades you see today are survivors of that era.
“Jack London Square” was a 1950s rebranding strategy. When the Port of Oakland began redeveloping the aging industrial waterfront, they chose the name to anchor the district to its literary heritage and give the area a civic identity—years before “waterfront revitalization” became a national trend.
Some of London’s short stories directly reference this exact waterfront. London wrote about sailors, longshoremen, oyster pirates, and port life drawn from what he saw on the Oakland Estuary. The characters in his maritime works often have roots in real people he met here.