September 18, 2008
Brooklyn Man Vs. Manhattan Verizon Sign
Photo by Tien Mao.
There's nothing quite like walking hand in hand with the one you love on the Brooklyn Promenade, gazing across the East River into Manhattan, watching the sunset, and remembering you have to pay your Verizon bill. The Brooklyn Paper reports that one man is so angry about the glowing Verizon logo affixed to the equally uninspired building, that he's "vowing to ramp up the fight." Brooklyn Heights newcomer Richard Brown, "who now spends significant time on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade with a new significant other, said he first noticed the 'unsightly blemish' as he and his lady were enjoying a sunset a few weeks ago." Ever since, the sign, housed at 375 Pearl Street, has become the Moby Dick to his Ahab.
He isn't the first to try to take down the corporate ray of light, but that's not stopping him from rallying support and making t-shirts for his cause. A Verizon spokesman told the paper that nothing will happen immediately, however. Last year the company "sold part of the building to developers, who plan to open up the stony façade with a new glass curtain wall and create one million square feet of new office space. The new owners are also reportedly offering the sign space as an additional enticement to potential companies."
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Whatever displeases Richard Brown must be gotten rid of! Sieg heil!
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This reminds me slightly of the "Kenny Rogers Roasters" episode of Seinfeld.
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It is pretty ugly
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This guy's got practically no shot of being successful with this - people tried to get the giant neon Traveler's Umbrella taken down ten or fifteen years ago and they didn't have any luck - the facade is owned by whoever it's owned by and can be lit up, advertised on or painted more-or-less as they please. I fail to see how this is any different.
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Get a life brown. there are annoying things in NYC to be upset with.
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If this is Richard Brown's main gripe, he must be living quite a charmed life. Hey Dick, get back to us when you have a real problem to whine about.
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Perhaps he can have Tyler Durden deal with it.
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I used to look out my 5th story bedroom window in Queens and would be slapped with the CitiBank logo from the building in Long Island City.
It's a horrible sensation... looking out the window and seeing your arch financial enemy while caught in the throws of passion.
I've since moved to Brooklyn and see the Verizon logo outside my kitchen window, and am living in ignorant bliss!
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Yeah, it's a pretty damn ugly building. Knock it down and put up a glass condo tower to house the less fortunate. Like Lehman, Bear Sterns and Merrill employees. Next issue?
Wow, it would be fun being mayor.
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top five ugliest buildings in the new york skyline.
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Why is he and his significant other walking around outside instead of indoors *getting to know one another* naked style?
I hope he doesn't make it to Times Square, he is likely to explode.
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i love it when new people move to brooklyn and try to change things
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It is extremely ugly. One of the ugliest on the island.
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he should hook up with that guy who was trying to save the Starbuck's...
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ugly building, ugly corporate logo
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I remember when it had the old Bell System logo on it.
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Hats off to Richard Brown. If you're out there, where can I buy a t-shirt? Ides of march, what's your beef?
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Has to be one of the ugliest, shittiest large buildings in the city.
Must be miserable inside too, can I get a window up in here?
Get rid of it.
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The new owners should put a sign up that says, "FU Richard Brown" - that would be awesome.
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I would rather look at a sign that says 'fuck you.'
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It's among the ugliest buildings in all of Manhattan and fittingly, has one of the ugliest corporate logo's in all of existence.
Richard Brown is likely to lose, but good on him for having the balls (and time) for fighting the good fight.
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That sign does say "fuck you." It says "Fuck you, you live in Verizon City."
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A note on why the building is so ugly. The building is (or was?) a massive telecom switching center, so its full of machinery instead of people. Hence the lack of windows which improves security, reduces costs, etc. etc. It's a great big box built for functionality rather than looks.
All this doesn't explain the need for the big lighted logo though. If they stuck with the unlit Bell logo no one would've said anything. (People *like* the Bell logo.)
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I love how when I'm riding in a car down the FDR and in the vicinity of the Verizon building, if I'm on my Verizon cell phone on a call, it usually drops, ironically.
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If only the guy put his energy towards something that mattered.
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The soaring price of giving people gas was the cause.
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Bloomberg clearly needs to put together a demolition task force to take down any structure that offends the delicate sensibilities of Richard Brown.
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blow that ugly piece of shit up
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Somehow, in this economy, I don't think adding a million square feet of new office space to lower Manhattan is going to happen. Especially if it competes with Ground Zero.
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He should just sell Verizon short.
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I find Richard Brown to be the most annoying ass hat in New York. Can we get rid of him?
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That's FAR from the uglliest building in NYC. You could put your thumb on a map of Greenpoint or Flushing, take the train there, and find a flock of Fedders with concrete lawns and water meters by the front door that vie for the ugliest buildings on the planet.
I'm mystified by the disgust accreted to that Verizon building.
www.forgotten-ny.com
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Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job!
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Can't sell Verizon short now! Ahhh Richard Brown, foiled at every turn!
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i see that shit from my window. hate it.
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China will buy that building and put
a big illuminated face of Mao smiling
at Brrooklen.