A series of four-story apartment buildings along Conradstraat have their backs on the southeast bank.

The INIT office building is at the northern end of the northwest bank, down to Jacob Bontiusplaats.

Oostenburg island was reclaimed from the swamp along the IJ in the second half of the 17th century, and was purchased by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1661.

As shown on a 1782 map, the Oostenburgervaart originally ran from the Nieuwe Vaart north past the company's warehouse and its shipyard to the VOC dock on the IJ.

In 2015 the state cleared all buildings from the area between the Oostenburgervaart and Ooostenburgermiddenstraat, from Oostenburgerdwarsvaart to Jacob Bontiusplaats to the northwest.