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All the United States California Oakland Watermelon Rock
Gastro Obscura

Watermelon Rock

A unique piece of graffiti offers a little slice of local history and mystery.

Oakland, California

Added By
James Gage
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Names and messages left on the rock by passersby.   James Gage / Atlas Obscura User
Names and messages left on the rock by passersby.   James Gage / Atlas Obscura User
Watermelon Rock dipping into the water of the Airport Channel.   James Gage / Atlas Obscura User
Watermelon Rock along Doolittle Drive.   James Gage / Atlas Obscura User
As seen from the MLK estuary   rebeccarecco / Atlas Obscura User
As seen from the MLK Estuary   rebeccarecco / Atlas Obscura User
  hibbibi / Atlas Obscura User
Watermelon Rock with Orange Slice (12/2020)   russellnelson / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On the shoreline of San Leandro Bay, one particular work has caught the public eye and imagination for more than 35 years. Though the East Bay is a Sistine Chapel of graffiti, this particularly intriguing semi-circular slab of concrete brightens the day of many a passerby on their way to Oakland airport.

Watermelon Rock, a human-made landmark at the Martin Luther King Regional Shoreline Park, was originally painted as an orange slice in May 1983 by local resident Sandra Gibson and a friend. A few years later, someone repainted the rock as a slice of watermelon.

Irritated residents thought the painted rock ruined the natural look of the shoreline. One particularly angry resident painted it black, though it was quickly restored to its fruity facade.

The mystery of Watermelon Rock is that no one knows who re-paints it or why—rumors of the artists' identities range from mermaids to a local college sports team. Through the years, it has had stints as a lemon wedge and other citrus slices, but it always returns to its beloved look as a watermelon.

The perfectly-shaped piece of concrete was added to the shoreline to bolster it after World War II. Sometimes, as the tide rises and falls in the channel, the watermelon is submerged by the water, only to appear again soon after.

Related Tags

Graffiti California Public Art Fruit Roadside Attractions Rocks Geology

Know Before You Go

Watermelon Rock is located between Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline and the Oakland Aviation Museum along Doolittle Drive.

Community Contributors

Added By

James Gage

Edited By

rebeccarecco, hibbibi, russellnelson

  • rebeccarecco
  • hibbibi
  • russellnelson

Published

August 20, 2018

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Sources
  • http://www.alamedamagazine.com/Alameda-Magazine/March-April-2007/Around-Town/
  • https://patch.com/california/alameda/watermelon-rock-a-slice-of-alameda-history
Watermelon Rock
Doolittle Dr
Oakland, California
United States
37.731718, -122.210621
Get Directions

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