Locks and keys in West Oakland and Jack London

Oldest houses in the city

West Oakland's Prescott, Lower Bottoms, Acorn and Oakland Point neighborhoods hold some of Oakland's oldest homes: Victorians and Italianates with tall redwood doors. Many still have mortise locks set into the door edge. Those locks can often be serviced and rekeyed, which is kinder to the door than drilling new holes.

Restaurants and shops

Chinatown, around Webster and Franklin, and the historic blocks of Old Oakland are packed with restaurants and small stores. Back-alley doors, padlocked gates and kitchen storerooms are the usual jobs. Restaurants often keep a small office safe for the day's takings, and a forgotten combination brings a call too.

Lofts and new buildings

Near Jack London Square and along Mandela Parkway, warehouse conversions and new apartment buildings use heavy steel doors, intercoms and keyed-alike unit locks. Your own unit door is usually yours to rekey within the lease; building entry systems are the manager's.

The port side

Businesses near the Port of Oakland call about yard gates, container padlocks and office rekeys. Ask about a master key plan if staff need different levels of access.

Laney, BART and parked cars

Laney College, the Lake Merritt and West Oakland BART stations and the Jack London ferry terminal all bring people who park and walk. Car lockouts near these spots are common. Say which lot or street, the level if it is a garage, and the car's colour so the locksmith can spot it quickly.

Ferry commuters who lose a key on the way home can arrange a new key; the make, model and proof of ownership are needed.

Practical notes

West Oakland's live-work buildings sometimes have a shared front gate with a keypad and a separate keyed door for each unit. The gate code belongs to the building, but a tenant can usually rekey their own unit door within the lease. If a unit has a safe left by a previous occupant, have it opened and reset before you trust it with anything valuable.