Lake Merritt station

Coordinates: 37°47′52″N 122°16′00″W / 37.79777°N 122.26659°W / 37.79777; -122.26659
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lake Merritt
BART A-Line
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBus transport AC Transit: 18, 62, 88, 96
Bus transport ACMC Highland Shuttle
Construction
Structure typeUnderground
Parking207 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesRacks, 84 lockers
AccessibleYes
ArchitectYuill-Thornton, Warner & Levikov[1]
History
OpenedSeptember 11, 1972
Passengers
20242,909 (weekday average)[2]
Services
Preceding station Bay Area Rapid Transit Following station
West Oakland
toward Daly City
Blue Line Fruitvale
Green Line Fruitvale
12th Street Oakland City Center
toward Richmond
Orange Line
Location
Map

Lake Merritt station is an underground

Jack London Square station
.

Station layout

The station has a single island platform located two levels below ground, with a fare mezzanine above it. The station has four entrances from Oak Street between 8th Street and 9th Street.[3]

A largely-unused oval courtyard adjacent to the fare lobby includes reliefs of sea creatures and birds designed by William Mitchell. Now-closed portholes in the reliefs allowed the public to peer into the BART Operations Control Center.[4]: 5  A fountain was originally located in the courtyard.[5] Walls in the station feature tile work in red, black, and off-white by Alfonso Pardiñas.[4]: 4 

History

The BART Operations Control Center, located adjacent to the station

The construction of Lake Merritt station and the adjacent BART Administration Building leveled three blocks of Chinatown – one of several major displacements in the area, along with I-880, Laney College, and the Oakland Museum of California, that took place in the mid-20th century.[6] By August 1965, the city of Oakland preferred the name "Peralta Center" for the station.[7] However, a BART committee recommended "Lake Merritt" that October, which was approved in December.[8][9]

The station opened on September 11, 1972 – part of the first section of BART to open.[10] Due to a national strike that year by elevator constructors, elevator construction on the early stations was delayed. Lake Merritt was the only station on the initial segment with elevators available upon opening.[11]

The BART Administration Building was located in a dedicated six-story office building constructed concurrently on top of the station. In 2003, due to potential risk of earthquake damage, the headquarters was moved away from the station to leased space in the Kaiser Center.[12] The former Administration Building was dismantled in 2009–2010.[13]

Bathrooms at underground BART stations were closed after the September 11 attacks due to security concerns. The bathroom at Lake Meritt station reopened on June 28, 2022, after a renovation, with an attendant on duty during all operating hours.[14] On September 8, 2022, the BART Board approved plans for a 457-unit residential development to replace the station parking lot, with two additional phases planned.[15] As of March 2024, construction is planned to begin in mid-2024.[16]

References

  1. OCLC 85623396
    .
  2. ^ "Monthly Ridership Reports". San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. February 2024.
  3. ^ "Station Map: Lake Merritt". Metropolitan Transportation Commission. July 25, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Weinstein, Dave. "How BART got ART". CA-Modern. Eichler Network.
  5. ^ "Look what has happened to the 'subway' station". BART: A bright new day for the Bay Area. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. November 1972. pp. 10, 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Lake Merritt Station Area Plan" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. December 2014. pp. 2–4.
  7. ^ "Differences On Transit Stop Names". Oakland Tribune. August 24, 1965. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "A Name For BART Station?". Oakland Tribune. October 20, 1965. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay". Oakland Tribune. December 10, 1965. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "BART Chronology January 1947 – March 2009" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2013.
  11. ^ "Strike Delays Elevator Service at Some Stations". Oakland Tribune. September 10, 1972. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Board approves purchase of new headquarters saving public funds in future" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. September 12, 2019.
  13. ^ "Earthquake safety work planned for Lake Merritt Station" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. May 13, 2009.
  14. ^ "Restrooms now open at Montgomery and Lake Merritt" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. June 28, 2022.
  15. ^ "BART Board approves hundreds of homes for Lake Merritt Station" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. September 8, 2022.
  16. ^ "Lake Merritt TOD construction begins in 2024; parking changes start June 1" (Press release). San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. March 21, 2024.

External links

Media related to Lake Merritt station at Wikimedia Commons