Wender·Vista
Yerba Buena Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
halfway across the Bay Bridge, between San Francisco and Oakland

Yerba Buena Island

— — the small green hill the bridge runs through.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The natural island at the centre of San Francisco Bay, where the Bay Bridge changes character — a suspension span to the west, a cantilever to the east, a tunnel bored straight through the rock between them. The Coast Guard still keeps the small white lighthouse at the south end, the oldest still operating on the bay. Treasure Island, the flat artificial neighbour, sits clipped to its north shore. The view back toward the city is the one the postcards leave out. from the studio

from the studio
Yerba Buena Island
— bring it home

Yerba Buena Island, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Yerba Buena Island

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Yerba Buena Island is the natural island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, midway between the city of San Francisco and Oakland. It rises to about 103 metres at its summit and covers roughly 0.61 square kilometres of rocky, eucalyptus-covered ground. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which opened in 1936, passes through the island via the Yerba Buena Tunnel, the largest-diameter bore tunnel in the world at the time of its construction. The flat, artificial Treasure Island, built for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, is attached to its north shore.

— the light

The Yerba Buena Island Light, a small white Victorian tower on the south end of the island, has been in continuous operation since 1875, making it the oldest active lighthouse on San Francisco Bay. It is still maintained by the United States Coast Guard, which keeps an active base on the island. From the eastern ridge, the cantilever-and-self-anchored-suspension eastern span of the bridge — opened in 2013 and visible for kilometres — catches sunset light differently than the original Western span and gives the island its particular late-afternoon palette.

— the visit

Public access has historically been limited because the island is shared by the Coast Guard and active Bay Bridge infrastructure. A redevelopment plan adopted in 2011 added new housing and a public shoreline trail; the Bay Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path, completed in 2016, reaches the island from the east. AC Transit lines 25 and O serve the island from Oakland and San Francisco. The only road access to and from San Francisco itself remains the Bay Bridge.

— where
United States · San Francisco, California
— elevation
103 m · 338 ft
— position
37.8094° N · 122.3622° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km N
Treasure Island
artificial island
4 km W
San Francisco
city
6 km E
Oakland
city
4 km NW
Alcatraz Island
former federal prison
N
Yerba Buena Island
Treasure Island
San Francisco
Oakland
Alcatraz Island
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Yerba Buena Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Yerba Buena Island sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay, midway between the city of San Francisco and Oakland. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge passes through the island via the Yerba Buena Tunnel.

Yerba Buena Island is natural — a rocky hill rising about 103 metres out of San Francisco Bay. The adjoining Treasure Island to the north is artificial, built on dredged sand for the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.

The Yerba Buena Tunnel is the double-deck bore that carries Interstate 80 through the island, linking the western suspension and eastern self-anchored suspension spans of the Bay Bridge. At its 1936 opening it was the largest-diameter bore tunnel in the world.

Yes, with some limits. Parts of the island are active Coast Guard property and closed to the public. New housing and a public shoreline trail are open, and the Bay Bridge bicycle and pedestrian path reaches the island from the east.

The Yerba Buena Island Light has been in continuous operation since 1875, making it the oldest active lighthouse on San Francisco Bay. It is still maintained by the United States Coast Guard.

The island, like the original Mexican-era settlement that became San Francisco, is named for *yerba buena* — the local wild mint *Clinopodium douglasii*, used for tea by Ohlone and later Spanish residents of the bay.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The view from Yerba Buena is one a Bay Area resident knows in a different way than the tourist Golden Gate view. A Small or Medium often lands well with someone who has commuted across the bridge for years.

The cool blues and bridge-steel palette sit well in coastal-modern interiors, in mid-century modern rooms with walnut and brass, and in industrial-modern lofts where the cantilever lines pick up the architecture.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly. The bridge spans suit horizontal compositions, so a 4-tile Mural carries especially well; a 9-tile Mural anchors a feature wall.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any vertical kitchen or bath installation; the colour is infused into the ceramic and the surface tolerates steam, splash, and routine wiping.

Use a soft microfibre cloth with warm water. No sealants, no polish, no abrasive pads. Bleach-based cleaners can dull the glossy finish over time and are best avoided.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, painted by Reid Wender and hand-finished in-house. No licensing, no outside printing.

— if this one stayed with you

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