The Royal draws inspiration from 1940s New York, an era when the concept of royalty shifted—from inherited bloodlines to the aspirational wealth and glamour of the modern metropolis. Installed at the entrance of a student housing complex near USC, the work reinterprets this cultural transition through a layered visual language. The front gate features an abstracted version of the Manhattan skyline rendered in cut metal, evoking a city where dreams of upward mobility—and self-made royalty—took architectural form. Guarding the entrance is a gold-covered payphone, serving as a tongue-in-cheek monument to accessibility and reinvention: a royal crown for every person. Repeating Art Deco motifs, etched and applied across entryways, unit entrances, windows, and screens, function like contemporary tiaras—adorning the once-humble structure with a sense of ironic grandeur. Through these layered references, the piece invites viewers and residents to reflect on status, symbolism, and the way architecture participates in mythmaking.