Oakland Lamp Works
historic place
The Oakland Lamp Works, located at 16th and Campbell Streets in West Oakland, operated as a light bulb factory. General Electric owned this facility, which began operations in 1912. The initial building construction for the Oakland Warehouse Company started in 1910. By 1912, it became General Electric's nineteenth lamp manufacturing division. The factory expanded with a second section added between 1917 and 1918. This plant became the primary supplier of lamps for much of the Pacific Coast. It was also notable as one of the first industrial buildings on the West Coast to employ women. In 1914, approximately 250 people worked here, many of them young women. The company provided amenities like a break room and cafeteria for its employees. The factory closed in 1961. Today, the historic building houses the Lampwork Lofts apartments. The Oakland Lamp Works was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. Its history reflects early 20th-century industrial development and labor practices in Oakland.