The Lost Artworks & Graffiti of Bayside Oil Depot

November 04, 2024

Within the imposing walls of the Bayside Fuel Depot, also known as the Bushwick Inlet Refinery, eclectic art pieces and vibrant graffiti adorned every available surface, creating a sensory overload that was both chaotic and mesmerizing. The cavernous oil tanks and sprawling rooms of the main building played host to a lethal dose of creativity, transforming the depot into an unlikely graffiti wonderland.

I arrived intending to document the refinery’s industrial history but found myself captivated by the dizzying array of colorful art pieces that had claimed the depot as their canvas. Every inch of the immense white walls inside and out was covered in a smorgasbord of rainbow colors, shapes, lettering, and characters. Playful figures from Disney classics stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the abstract, the surreal, and the subversive, forming a visual tapestry that mirrored the diversity of the city itself.

In my opinion, the Bayside Fuel Depot was on par with the legendary 5 Pointz graffiti mecca, albeit without the urban backdrop of passing trains. The depot’s graffiti-covered walls elicited a deep sense of community and artistic expression, similar to 5 Pointz before its infamous demise. When Jerry Wolkoff, the developer who purchased the 5 Pointz property in the 1970s, whitewashed the graffiti and demolished the site without remorse in the late 2010s, the outcry was palpable. Currently, the site is a high-rise luxury apartment building called 5PointzLIC. The Bayside Fuel Depot felt like a resilient response to that loss—a sanctuary for artists and admirers alike.

Walking through the depot’s labyrinth of rooms was like entering a parallel world where rules didn’t apply, and creativity reigned supreme. One moment, I was greeted by a mural bursting with neon colors and intricate patterns; the next, I stumbled upon a stark, monochromatic piece that spoke to the raw emotion of the artist. Despite the varying styles and influences, a unifying theme emerged: defiance. The depot’s art was a testament to the artist’s refusal to be confined by the city’s relentless march toward gentrification.

The oil tanks themselves were a marvel, their rusted exteriors betraying the vivid works of art within. Each tank told a story, its walls emblazoned with graffiti that ranged from the whimsical to the deeply political. One tank featured a sprawling yellow head with small smooth white teeth and brightly colored words of varying kaleidoscopic colors and embellishing letters. Another tank was adorned with a kaleidoscope of abstract shapes, inviting the viewer to lose themselves in the swirling colors and patterns.

The exterior walls of the main building were equally captivating, with murals that seemed to leap off the surface in their vibrancy. Bold lettering spelled out messages of hope, turfs, personal battles, resistance, and unity, while larger-than-life characters brought a touch of whimsy to the gritty industrial landscape.

Behind the imposing walls of the Bushwick Inlet Refinery, the art was largely hidden from the outside world, unlike the vibrant murals that once adorned the exterior of 5 Pointz. Inside this former fuel depot, the graffiti transformed the stark industrial architecture into a gallery of museum-quality artwork, reminiscent of masterpieces gracing the walls of the Met, Louvre, MoMA, Getty Center, Tate, Prado, and the Smithsonian. Here, however, there were no gilded frames or curated displays; the art was splayed across unassuming concrete walls, a raw testament to the talent and creativity of daring artists who ventured under the fence line to leave their mark.

Navigating the labyrinthine rooms of the main building was like stepping into an alternate reality where the rules of the art world no longer applied. Every wall told a story, and every corner revealed a new surprise. The walls bore the signatures of local and foreign artists, their styles ranging from abstract and surreal to intricate and hyper-realistic. It was a smorgasbord feast of rainbow colors, shapes, lettering, and characters that blended seamlessly across the depot’s vast interior.

The graffiti, hidden from public view, created an intimate, almost sacred atmosphere. It was as if one had stumbled upon a secret wing of the world's finest museums, where the art was liberated from the confines of tradition. One room featured a mural that could have stood proudly in the halls of the MoMA, while another showcased a monochromatic masterpiece that would not have been out of place at the Tate. Here, in the gritty heart of Brooklyn, artists from around the world created their own Louvre, each piece a brushstroke in a tapestry that celebrated the spirit of defiance and creativity.

But this hidden sanctuary was not meant to last forever. In 2005, the city rezoned the waterfront, promising Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents a 40-acre open space park. After years of delay and negotiations, the Motiva and CitiStorage parcels finally broke ground this year, signaling the transformation of the refinery into the long-promised unified Bushwick Inlet Park.

The completion of the park is a bittersweet victory. While it fulfills a long-standing promise to the community, it also marks the end of an era for the Bushwick Inlet Refinery. The graffiti that turned the depot into a hidden museum will soon give way to open pathways and manicured lawns. But for those daring enough to slip under the fence and witness the art firsthand, the memory of the refinery as a graffiti sanctuary will live on.

As I photographed and documented the depot’s many layers of art, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. The refinery’s fate was certain, and the specter of gentrification loomed large over its colorful walls. But back then, it stood as a testament to the power of creativity to transform even the most unlikely spaces into something beautiful.

The Bayside Fuel Depot may not have had the train views of 5 Pointz, but it had something just as valuable: a raw, unfiltered expression of the artistic spirit that refuses to be silenced. It was a place where the walls spoke volumes, and every stroke of paint told a story—a story of resilience, defiance, and the enduring power of art to bring people together. In the end, the refinery’s legacy will endure not just in the photos and memories of those who visited, but also in the spirit of the new park—a space that will hopefully continue to inspire creativity and community for generations to come. The art that once adorned the depot’s walls may no longer be visible, but its impact will resonate far beyond the confines of the Bushwick Inlet Refinery.