Alfredo Bennett, commonly known as the Royal KingBee, led the ceremonial ribbon cutting that unveiled his eye-catching mural on a brickwall at 45-57 W. Tremont Ave., a 51-unit apartment complex near Kingsland Plaza in Tremont, on June 19. A round of applause and loud cheers followed as the Bronx native grinned proudly.

The mural–a kaleidoscopic honeycomb that includes KingBee’s signature metallic-style bee–included with phrases such as “Reclaim” and “Save our Swarm” spray painted. In a way the mural captures the story of the apartment building, which, in the 1990s, had been completely rundown. This new display is a far cry from a wall that was once a target of excessive graffiti, becoming an eyesore to the community.

Building tenants and staffers from the University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP)–a social services nonprofit that builds affordable housing for Bronx residents–gathered for the unveiling. Though the mural was completed in January, colder weather kept UNHP from presenting the mural until recently. It’s already drawn attention from passersby. UNHP reached out to KingBee and he was able to transform the wall in a month’s time. He has also promoted it to his more than 6,000 followers on Instagram.

“I was involved back when the buildings were vacant. It’s very exciting to see people doing a great job to maintain it and to beautify it this way is very special. We’ve seen posts on social media of people taking photos in front of it and it is very rewarding,” said Jim Buckley, UNHP executive director.

Fifteen years after the first renovation, the development now includes energy-efficient improvements such as new roofs, windows and boilers. “Working in the Bronx for over 30 years, to see and be a part of this transformation, has been amazing. I would have never thought that one day we would be talking about a mural on one of our buildings, but it is a great feeling,” said Catherine Clarke, deputy director of Development/Administration for UNHP.

This is one of two murals that KingBee has crafted for UNHP’s affordable housing developments, with another bee-themed mural at 1982 University Ave. “I love to craft, I love graffiti. I started like any other typical person trying to get my name out there,” said Bennett. “I started doing murals for small storefronts and mechanic shops. Then eventually my popularity got bigger; started working on bigger walls throughout the Bronx.”

The ceremony served as a kick-off for UNHP’s Community Resource Fair, which offered residents free housing, legal, and financial services. Several partners were in attendance including Legal Aid, The city Department of Finance, POTS, Chase, Capital One, Amalgamated Bank, Ariva, Ready to Rent, and the city Human Rights Commission.

“It’s impressive how much respect he has. He does this and nobody touches it,” said Doug Sachs, president of Dougert Management Corporation.

For a long time, KingBee hid his talents from most people, including his parents.

“They weren’t interested in the beginning, so I never bothered bringing that to the table. Good thing I never got busted, or else that would’ve been a topic,” said Bennett. His advice for any upcoming artist that likes to tag, “If your heart is into it, go for it. You have to love this game,” said Bennett.

Alfredo Bennett, commonly known as The Royal KingBee alongside staffers of the University Neighborhood Housing Program and Dougert Management Corporation unveiling his latest mural on 45-67 Tremont Ave.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.