The Bronx, Painted More Than 300 Feet High
The Bronx has always told its story on its walls. The borough where hip-hop and graffiti were born in the 1970s now has a new landmark: Un MAR de Gente / From Every Shore, a mural more than 300 feet tall on a residential tower in the South Bronx that its organizers describe as the tallest in the United States. It was unveiled on October 27, 2026, and we have already visited it on our NYC Contrasts Tour.
In this guide we tell you where the mural is, who painted it, what it means and how the community helped create it.
Last updated: October 29, 2026.
A Borough That Speaks Through Its Walls
In the 1970s, while the South Bronx went through one of the hardest crises in its history, young people turned the walls and subway cars into canvases. Graffiti was born alongside hip-hop, and over the decades it evolved into a muralist tradition that today fills the borough with color, from the Big Pun mural to “I Love The Bronx.” Un MAR de Gente is the newest and tallest chapter in that story.
Where Is the Mural?
The mural covers one of the three towers of Morrisania Air Rights, a NYCHA public housing complex at 3145 Park Avenue, near East 158th Street, in the Melrose section of the South Bronx. The complex owes its name to its history: its towers were completed in 1980 over the Metro-North railroad tracks, using the “air rights” above the line. That is also the play on words in the title: “MAR” is the complex’s initials and, in Spanish, the word for “sea.”
How Tall Is It?
According to its organizers, the mural is more than 307 feet tall and covers the side of a 29-story tower, which makes it the tallest mural in the United States. Some articles published while it was being painted gave different figures, so the safest way to describe it is “more than 300 feet.”
Who Is Angurria?
Néstor Omar García, known as Angurria, is a Dominican artist from Los Alcarrizos who studied advertising before becoming one of the most recognized muralists in the Caribbean. His best-known character, “Doña Patria,” is a tribute to his mother, Patria, who had a beauty salon: the women with hair rollers in his paintings come from his childhood memories of that salon. For this project he worked with Bronx-born artist Fernando Ortiz, founder of FOGA.
What Does the Mural Represent?
The mural shows people and families of different generations and cultures who are part of the community. At the top, a grandmother with hair rollers holds a baby, a direct link to Doña Patria and to the artist’s mother. In the middle appear neighbors of different backgrounds, and at the bottom two children play next to a fire hydrant, a classic image of summer in New York. After it was unveiled, Angurria summed up the idea: “Now the whole Bronx can look up and see itself.”
How the Community Took Part
Before the first brushstroke there were months of workshops and conversations with residents, local youth and the Morrisania Air Rights Residents Association. Neighbors decided details as specific as the scrunchies, T-shirts and shoes. A woman wearing a hijab was included at the request of a Muslim girl from the community, and a child with earmuffs at the top nods to residents with special needs. The project was commissioned by the public art organization ArtBridge, with the Public Housing Community Fund, Angurria’s studio Monumental.do and the residents, and funded with a grant from the M·A·C VIVA GLAM Fund. According to Telemundo, Angurria painted the mural in 22 days; the full project, counting the community process, took months.
Our Visit
We visited the mural with a group on our NYC Contrasts Tour. From the basketball court at the foot of the tower you have to tilt your head all the way back to see the grandmother at the top, and the colors, pink, yellow and tropical green, stand out against the sky of the South Bronx. Seeing our travelers recognize themselves in those faces was one of the most special moments of the day.
How to See It
The mural is on the exterior of the building and can be seen for free from the street. Remember that it is a residential complex: enjoy it from public spaces and respect the residents’ privacy. The Metro-North Melrose station is very close, and the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium subway station (4, B and D) is about a 15-minute walk away. The easiest way is to include it in a guided tour: on our NYC Contrasts Tour we visit it along with the Joker stairs, Yankee Stadium and the Bronx’s most famous murals, before continuing to Queens and Brooklyn. If you prefer a smaller group, choose the VIP Contrasts Tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the tallest mural in the United States?
At Morrisania Air Rights, 3145 Park Avenue, near East 158th Street, in the South Bronx.
How tall is it?
More than 300 feet; its organizers put it at more than 307 feet, on a 29-story tower.
Who painted it?
Dominican artist Néstor Omar García, Angurria, together with Bronx artist Fernando Ortiz.
What does “MAR” mean?
It is the initials of Morrisania Air Rights and, in Spanish, means “sea,” as in “a sea of people.”
How long did it take to paint?
According to Telemundo, 22 days of painting, after months of workshops with residents.
Can I see it on a tour?
Yes. We visit it on our NYC Contrasts Tour through the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.
Related Articles
The Bronx: History, Hip-Hop, the Yankees and What to See
New York Contrasts Tour 2026: Complete Guide to the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn
How to Visit Yankee Stadium: Tours, Games and the Contrasts Tour
Sources
Sources: Time Out New York, “The tallest mural in the U.S. is now in the South Bronx” (October 29, 2026); Bronx Times, “A NYCHA development in the South Bronx is now home to the tallest mural in the United States” (October 28, 2026); New York Real Estate Journal, ArtBridge announcement; Acento.com.do, interview with Angurria; Telemundo.
Real’s Tours NYC is not affiliated with ArtBridge, NYCHA, the Public Housing Community Fund or any organization mentioned in this article.
