Dog Shit Park is a community park near Vulcan Studios at the end of 45th Avenue past San Leandro Avenue. The park has strange artsy refuse from the nearby artist enclave including many broken pianos which are fun to play with sticks. The park is also a great place to bring your picky dog with a discerning taste in art and a respect for the absurd.
History: Dog Shit Park originally consisted of a picnic table butted up against the fence at the end of 45th avenue. The area contained abandoned cars that were used by local drug addicts and prostitutes for conducting their business. The residents of The Vulcan Studios would take their dogs to the end of 45th avenue to do their business. Around 1993 many of The Vulcan Studio residents were fed up with the crime and activity occurring in the area and built a small fence with discarded wood. Little by little the area grew and residents were able to discourage criminal activity by laying claim to this piece of land. Over a 12 year period Dog Shit Park grew to its current size of about 2000 square feet. Some of the more ambitious residents started to construct benches, add chairs and beautify the park with discarded art projects. The prostitution and homeless camps disappeared and gave way to a Oakland grass roots original. It is well known in the area and in the mid 90's there was a Punk-n-Roll band made up of Vulcan residents (Gary-Paul, Rubin and Ephraim) who took the name Dog Shit Park and played the Oakland underground art/music scene.
It's not clear who actually owns the land under this "park." The Assessor's maps for the area still show 45th Avenue as if it extends all the way to the nearby Union Pacific (formerly Central Pacific then Southern Pacific) tracks, and the park area is not part of the legal description for the Vulcan Lofts property. It may be part of the adjoining OUSD property that fronts onto High Street, especially since the School District uses the former 45th Avenue right-of-way west of the "park," but that cannot be determined at this point.
