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All the United States California Richmond TEPCO Beach

TEPCO Beach

A porcelain company's former dumping ground, completely covered in pieces of collectible ceramics.

Richmond, California

Added By
Christy Kirwan
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18 June 2023   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
18 June 2023   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
18 June 2023   shaunk82 / Atlas Obscura User
Assorted Shards   Abandoned California / Atlas Obscura User
Mug on a Rock   Abandoned California / Atlas Obscura User
Tepco Plate   Abandoned California / Atlas Obscura User
  MtnLady / Atlas Obscura User
Taken Jan 2021   andreeagorbatai / Atlas Obscura User
Tepco Beach   organiccoffee / Atlas Obscura User
Tepco Beach 11.18.23  
Tepco Beach 11.18.23   GMoney1974 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

This small Richmond beach near Point Isabel is a former dumping ground for the now-defunct, highly collectible ceramics manufacturer TEPCO (Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company). Though TEPCO dishes have frequently been described as "ugly," "clunky," and "poorly made," surviving examples have a cult following among California collectors.

Founded in 1930 by Italian immigrant John Pagliero, the TEPCO factory produced dinnerware for restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. As well as consumer lines, TEPCO produced custom dinnerware for local restaurants and for the U.S. Army and Navy. The company was El Cerrito's largest employer for decades, until they shut down in 1968 after a destructive kiln fire.

The stretch of Richmond beach was the site where the factory dumped defective and broken crockery for years. Today, visitors can walk along the beach and hear the crunch of ceramic underfoot. Lucky visitors may even find a fragment that still contains the TEPCO logo.

Related Tags

Beaches Ceramics Porcelain Trash

Know Before You Go

From the Costco parking lot, cross Central Ave, then cross the San Francisco Bay Trail paved walking and cycling trail and head down to the beach.

Community Contributors

Added By

ckirwan

Edited By

shaunk82, breaingram, andreeagorbatai, Abandoned California...

  • shaunk82
  • breaingram
  • andreeagorbatai
  • Abandoned California
  • MtnLady
  • GMoney1974
  • organiccoffee

Published

May 27, 2020

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Sources
  • https://www.kqed.org/news/11673009/tepco-the-defunct-ceramics-factory-that-still-dishes-out-nostalgia
  • https://patch.com/california/elcerrito/tepco-el-cerritos-days-as-a-motherlode-of-dinnerware
  • https://www.kalw.org/post/east-bay-porcelain-factory-long-gone-its-legacy-lives#stream/0
TEPCO Beach
4800-4812 Central Ave
Richmond, California, 94804
United States
37.896852, -122.321496
Get Directions

Nearby Places

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

California

Places 6
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Albany Bulb

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

California

Places 6
Stories 1

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