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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By Jen Carlson in News on September 18, 2008 3:10 PM

Comments [rss]

west side Michael

China will buy that building and put

a big illuminated face of Mao smiling

at Brrooklen.

MrCow

i see that shit from my window. hate it.

citizenerased

Can't sell Verizon short now! Ahhh Richard Brown, foiled at every turn!

MurphGuide

Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job!

Kevin Walsh

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

Pull My Finger

I find Richard Brown to be the most annoying ass hat in New York. Can we get rid of him?

NannyState

He should just sell Verizon short.

Spirit of 76

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.

Alex

blow that ugly piece of shit up

ides_of_march

Bloomberg clearly needs to put together a demolition task force to take down any structure that offends the delicate sensibilities of Richard Brown.

brooklynbs

The soaring price of giving people gas was the cause.

brooklynbs

If only the guy put his energy towards something that mattered.

qbertplaya

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.

RevWaldo

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.)

fuckthesign

That sign does say "fuck you." It says "Fuck you, you live in Verizon City."

jaems

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.

TRBoater

I would rather look at a sign that says 'fuck you.'

nomnomnom

The new owners should put a sign up that says, "FU Richard Brown" - that would be awesome.

citizenerased

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.

fuckthesign

Hats off to Richard Brown. If you're out there, where can I buy a t-shirt? Ides of march, what's your beef?

Toby von Meistersinger

I remember when it had the old Bell System logo on it.

fakenewyorker

ugly building, ugly corporate logo

WorksInDUMBO

he should hook up with that guy who was trying to save the Starbuck's...

ThisCharmingMan

It is extremely ugly. One of the ugliest on the island.

fugothamist

i love it when new people move to brooklyn and try to change things

mikehawk

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.

ed_Extinct

top five ugliest buildings in the new york skyline.

tingo

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.

slyseekr

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!

Felix Hoenikker

Perhaps he can have Tyler Durden deal with it.

ides_of_march

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.

Rfive

Get a life brown. there are annoying things in NYC to be upset with.

pinteresque

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.