List of tallest buildings in Oakland

Oakland, the third most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area, in the U.S. state of California, is home to 40 buildings taller than 200 feet (61 m) as of 2026. Eighteen buildings in Oakland reach a height of 300 feet (91 m) or more, the fourth most of any city in California, after San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Oakland has the second largest skyline in Northern California and the Bay Area. The tallest building in Oakland is the 28-story Ordway Building, built in 1970 at a height of 404 feet (123.1 m). Atlas, a residential tower that is the city's second tallest, is less than a foot shorter at a height of 403 feet (122.9 m).

Oakland rose as a major city alongside San Francisco in the late 19th century. The city's earliest high-rises, the Gothic Revival style Cathedral Building and the Beaux-Arts Oakland City Hall, the first high-rise city hall, both rose in 1914. At 319 ft (97 m), the city hall was among the tallest buildings in the United States west of the Mississippi River at the time, second to Seattle's Smith Tower. A minor construction boom occurred during the 1920s, including the completion of the Tribune Tower, home to the Oakland Tribune newspaper. Following the Great Depression, few tall buildings were added to the city until the 1960s.

A larger building boom took place in Oakland from the 1960s to 1990s, shaping the city's current skyline. Several office towers were completed in part due to companies founded by American Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, including Ordway Tower, headquarters of Kaiser Permanente; the Kaiser Center, former headquarters of Kaiser Industries; and the Kaiser Engineering Building. Commercial high-rise development fell in the 1990s, during which two major governmental buildings were constructed instead: the two-towered Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and the Elihu M. Harris State Office Building. A residential apartment boom began in the late 2010s, with Oakland adding more housing units than San Francisco in 2019. New buildings in the skyline include Atlas, 1900 Broadway, and 17th and Broadway, Oakland's second, third, and fifth tallest buildings respectively. The boom has dwindled by 2024 in part due to financial constraints and other factors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oakland's tallest buildings are concentrated in Downtown Oakland, which is north of the Oakland Estuary and Interstate 880, east of Interstate 980, and west of Lake Merritt; a few high-rises sit on the shores of Lake Merritt. The Skylyne, completed in 2020 in Temescal, is the tallest building in the neighborhood and outside downtown. Downtown Oakland and its skyline is located across the San Francisco Bay from nearby San Francisco. From some angles, such as from the Oakland Hills, the two skylines are visible together.

History

The history of high-rises in Oakland began with the completion of the nine-story Bank of America Building in 1907. A nine-story section was later added to the same building. It remained the tallest building in the city until 1914, when the Oakland City Hall, at , became the tallest. At the time it was built, the City Hall was the first high-rise government building in the United States and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. The Kaiser Center surpassed the height of the City Hall in 1960, and was the tallest building for a decade. In 1970, Ordway Building became the tallest building in the city.

Cityscape

Map of tallest buildings The map below show the location of buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m) in Downtown Oakland and around Lake Merritt, where the majority of such buildings are. Each marker is numbered by the building's height rank, and colored by the decade of its completion. There are two buildings in Oakland taller than 200 ft (61 m) that are located outside of the map: The Skylyne at Temescal, and the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center.

Tallest buildings

This list ranks completed buildings in Oakland that stand at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. The “Year” column indicates the year of completion. Buildings tied in height are sorted by year of completion with earlier buildings ranked first, and then alphabetically.

RankName ImageLocationHeightft (m)FloorsYearPurpose Notes 1 Ordway Building 28 1970Office Tallest building in both Oakland and in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco. Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1970s. Headquarters of integrated managed care company Kaiser Permanente, which also has offices nearby at the Kaiser Permanente Building. Only 1 foot (0.2 m) taller than the second-tallest building in Oakland, Atlas. 2 Atlas 40 2020Residential Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 2020s. Only 1 foot (0.2 m) shorter than the Ordway Building. 3 1900 Broadway 39 2024Residential 4 Kaiser Center 28 1960Office Also called the Kaiser Building. Tallest building in Oakland from 1960 to 1970. Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1960s. Was built as the headquarters of Kaiser Industries, a conglomerate (not to be confused with Kaiser Permanente) 5 17th and Broadway 34 2019Residential Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 2010s. 6 Lake Merritt Plaza 27 1988Office Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1980s. 7 1111 Broadway 24 1990Office Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1990s. Part of Oakland City Center, an office, shopping and hotel complex. Built as the headquarters of global shipping company American President Lines. 8 Kaiser Engineering Building 25 1984Office 9 Clorox Building 24 1976Office Headquarters of consumer firm Clorox. 10 Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building North 18 1994Government Joint-tallest government building in Oakland. Named after former mayor and Congressman Ronald V. Dellums, who was Mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011.11Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building South181994GovernmentJoint-tallest government building in Oakland.12Elihu M. Harris State Office Building231998GovernmentJoint-tallest government building in Oakland. Named after Elihu Harris, who was Mayor of Oakland from 1991 to 1999. 13 1200 Lakeshore 25 1968Residential 14 Oakland City Hall 18 1914Government Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1910s. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Constructed in the Beaux-Arts style, the city hall resembles a "rectangular wedding cake". After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the building suffered from major structural damage and was retrofitted.15AT&T Building151948Data center 16 Tribune Tower 20 1923Office The lower six-story base was built in 1906, with the tower erected in 1923. Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 1920s.17Kaiser Permanente Building211975OfficeBought by Behring Companies in 2024.18601 City Center232019Office 19 1330 Broadway 18 1958Office Renovated in 2018. 20 Pacific Bell Building 20 1985Office 21 555 City Center 20 2002Office Tallest building completed in Oakland in the 2000s. Headquarters of Ask.com. 22 Oakland Marriott City Center 21 1983Hotel Tallest hotel building in Oakland.23The Key at 12th–182020OfficeAlso known as 1100 Broadway. 24 1717 Webster 25 2020ResidentialAlso known as 1721 Webster Street.25Park Bellevue Tower251969Residential 26 St. Paul's Towers 22 1966Residential 27 The Grand Apartments 22 2008Residential 281700 Webster232019ResidentialAlso known as ZO Oakland Apartments.29Forma–242022Residential 30 The Skylyne at Temescal 25 2020Residential31World Savings Center Building–171985Office 32 Central Building 15 1926Office 33The Essex on Lake Merritt202002Residential34Vespr–202022Residential 35 Bank of America Building 18 1924Office Originally constructed with nine floors in 1907. The 18-story tower was added later.36Caltrans District 4 Headquarters151990Office37180 Grand–151982Office 38 Financial Center Building 16 1929Office 39René C. Davidson Courthouse121934Government40Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center122014Health41ANDYS–192024ResidentialAlso known by its address, 1510 Webster.

Tallest under construction or approved

Under construction Since the completion of 1900 Broadway in 2024, there have been no buildings taller than 200 ft (61 m) under construction in Oakland.

Approved The following table includes approved buildings in Oakland that are expected to be at least 200 ft (61 m) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash “–“ indicates information about the building’s height, floor count, or year of completion is unknown or has not been released. NameHeightft (m)FloorsYearPurpose NotesTown Tower46–Residential1431 Franklin Street40–Residential

Timeline of tallest buildings NameImage Street addressYears as tallestHeightft (m)Floors Notes Oakland City Hall 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza 1914–1960 320 (98) 14 Kaiser Center 300 Lakeside Drive 1960–1970 390 (119) 28 Ordway Building 2150 Valdez Street 1970–present 404 (123) 28

Notes

List of tallest buildings in Oakland

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