Street artist Néstor Omar García has made history by completing the tallest mural in the United States, adorning a 29-story public-housing tower in the Bronx. García, who works under the name "Angurria," spent 22 days painting the 307-foot-tall masterpiece with fellow artists Johann “Dovente” Baez and Mario “Son Coro” Resende.
The mural, titled “Un MAR de Gente / From Every Shore,” covers the side of the New York City Housing Authority’s Morrisania Air Rights development at 3145 Park Ave. in Melrose. García told The Post that he was initially unaware of the project's scale, believing it was simply a large wall, then the biggest in the Bronx, then New York City, before realizing it was the largest in the country.
Commissioned by the public-art nonprofit ArtBridge, the artwork was inspired by community input gathered from six resident meetings. The mural is divided into three sections: the past, present, and future.
The top features a grandmother with hair rollers carrying her granddaughter, symbolizing intergenerational support. The middle depicts a multicultural block party, representing community unity. The bottom shows children playing with a fire hydrant, evoking childhood memories. "When we were kids, we didn’t look at where another person came from or what color they were. We just saw a friend in everyone," García said.
The creation process involved extensive planning, including five months for permits and approvals. The artists worked grueling 11- and 12-hour shifts, with each ascent up the scaffolding taking 20 to 25 minutes. The project required approximately 700 spray-paint cans, dozens of gallons of acrylic paint, and 30 gallons of sealant.
Despite the demanding nature of the project, García noted the heartwarming interactions with residents of the building, who provided food and expressed gratitude for the artwork. "People would come up and say, 'Thank you for making us feel like we matter,'" he recalled. Upon completion, García expressed relief, stating, "I was relieved. I didn’t have to go up there anymore."