02 Mar New Mural in Bay Point Honors History and Late Bank Club Owner

This new mural can be seen on the side of the Bank Club at 2344 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point.

CC Pulse Staff Report | Photos by Denis Perez-Bravo

A once-blank wall at the Bank Club bar in Bay Point now bursts with color and memory, transformed into a mural that honors the community’s history, celebrates its cultural roots, and pays tribute to late bar owner Gilbert Gutiérrez Garcia.  

Located at 2344 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point, the mural was commissioned by the Contra Costa Pulse, a community media outlet serving East and West Contra Costa County. The project was funded by a grant from the East Contra Costa Strong Collaborative Fund, which is an initiative of the East Bay Community Foundation. 

“I started driving down this road in the late 1980s when it was West Pittsburg,” said Malcolm Marshall, executive editor of Contra Costa Pulse. “Because it’s an unincorporated area, it kind of sits out here on its own. It’s an honor to play a part in preserving local history and bringing some love here through art.” 

The Bank Club is a longtime neighborhood fixture and the last remaining bar in the immediate area. 

Oakland muralist Vanessa Espinoza, a.k.a. DJ Agana, designed and painted the mural with the support of two additional artists: Joseph Lopez, a.k.a. MERX, and Amaranta Celena Colindres, a.k.a. Curlie Turtle. 

“We have the ability to tell our stories visually in a way that represents us,” Espinoza said. “I hope that the mural reflects the rich history and the people of the area and that residents are able to see a reflection of pride within the visual landscape of their home.” 

The artwork pays homage to what was once known as West Pittsburg and is still affectionately called “the Westside” by many longtime residents. It weaves together imagery from different eras of the area’s history, including a basket inspired by Miwok artistry representing precolonial times; a peacock feather as a nod to the birds often seen in the area; a steelworker representing its industrial past; a fisherman symbolizing life along Suisun Bay; and, of course, the Shore Acres sign.

The inclusion of the California poppy, the state flower, symbolizes the vibrant spirit of the state’s beauty and the optimism of the Gold Rush era.

On the right side of the mural is a portrait of the former bar owner. On the left, a young woman reads a copy of the Contra Costa Pulse newspaper with the headline “Port Chicago 50 Exonerated.”

“These men never received justice in their lifetime,” Marshall said. “Now, they have, and we will not forget them.” 

In 2024, 80 years after the 1944 explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Concord, the U.S. Navy issued a posthumous exoneration of the Port Chicago 50, a group of African American sailors who were wrongfully charged with mutiny following the deadly blast.

>>>Read: Honoring the Life of Betty Reid Soskin, Nation’s Oldest Park Ranger and Witness to Port Chicago Exoneration<<<

The mural reflects Contra Costa Pulse’s mission to uplift stories of community resilience and local history.

“One of my favorite parts about painting the mural was seeing the reactions from all of the people walking and driving by,” Espinoza said. “People stopped their cars to take photos and talk to us about the history of the area and their own migration journeys. Everyone felt uplifted and proud to be part of the history.”

Longtime resident and former director on the board of the Ambrose Recreation and Park District in Bay Point Eduardo Torres worked with The Pulse to bring the mural project to Bay Point.

Torres described the Bank Club as one of the oldest operating businesses in West Pittsburg and a Mexican sports bar deeply rooted in the community, where the smell of menudo fills the air on weekend mornings, soccer games play on the televisions, and Spanish is spoken throughout the room. He said that the atmosphere has remained consistent for decades.

“The Bank Club is special because it’s the last bar standing in the area,” he said. “It’s also a place where people from Mexticacan, Yahualica and other parts of Jalisco, Mexico, can feel like they’re back home, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

Gabriel Gutiérrez, the current owner of the Bank Club and son of its original owner, said the mural represents pride in a place that has long been overlooked. 

“I’ve been in Bay Point for as long as I can remember,” said Gutiérrez. “There’s not much down here. The newest buildings are Walgreens, Taco Bell and the gas station, all on the same corner. Eduardo and I had talked about the idea of bringing some art to the town. We thought it would be cool.” 

Torres said the stretch of Willow Pass Road has long been neglected and was once known as a rough area, something he witnessed firsthand growing up nearby in the 1980s. He noted that while the neighborhood has become significantly safer over time, local businesses still need stronger community support.

“Putting a mural there meant visibility for the Bank Club, but it also meant visibility for the neighborhood,” Torres said. 

“People live here. There are stories that matter here. There is history and pride here. This is the original West Side of Pittsburg, the old Bellamonte neighborhood. Honoring West Pittsburg history with a mural made sense specifically here because this is one of the most historic neighborhoods in Bay Point.”

 

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