Albany Bulb Shanty Town

no longer there

The Albany Bulb (also simply known as The Bulb) is a former landfill largely owned by the City of Albany, in California. The Bulb is the west end of a landfill peninsula jutting west from the east shore of San Francisco Bay. The term "Bulb" is often used to refer to the entire peninsula, which includes the Albany Plateau, north of Buchanan Street at its base; the high narrow "Neck," and the round "Bulb." The Bulb is part of the City of Albany, and can be reached via Buchanan Street or the Bay Trail along the east side of San Francisco Bay.

The Bulb is home to a vast array of urban art including mural, stencil, graffiti, sculpture, and installation art. Sculptor and activist lawyer Osha Neumann has created some of the largest works. He often collaborates with Jason DeAntonis. Sniff, a group of artists composed of Scott Hewitt, Scott Meadows and David Ryan, painted large, highly imaginative "murals" on wood and erected more sculptures on the northwest corner of The Bulb. Another Bulb landmark, referred to as "The Castle," is a large concrete, rebar and plaster shelter which sits on the south west corner of the Bulb, directly opposite the Golden Gate Bridge. The Bulb has been used for informal concerts and even a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest presented by We Players, a Bay Area site-specific theatre company.

The Bulb is home to a small, makeshift library, assembled mostly from driftwood and old boat pieces. The Landfill Library, comprises, on average, 300 volumes in various conditions, donated by its patrons. The books are free to borrow and keep, although a take-something-leave-something approach is encouraged. As of August 2013, the library is closed due to vandals destroying it. It will reopen once it is rebuilt.

Within The Bulb there exists a scattered shanty town and a homeless population of fluctuating size. The City of Albany has made several attempts to relocate the homeless, but due to litigation, as well as the persistence of the population, it has of yet been unsuccessful. A documentary about the Albany Landfill Encampment, Bum's Paradise was released in 2003.

Environmental protections as well as understanding of the dangers of building on unconsolidated fill make it extremely unlikely that the Bulb could be developed. In 2006, Magna Corporation, owners of Golden Gate Fields race track, proposed a large commercial shopping area on the racetrack property southeast of the Bulb. Extensive protest led by Citizens for Eastshore Parks, headed by former Albany mayor Robert Cheasty, led to these plans being dropped. The future of the racetrack holdings remains uncertain.