A Total by Verizon for Avenue A

A Total by Verizon outpost has set up shop at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street. 

According to what we read somewhere on the Internet that seemed credible enough, this was a TracFone sub-brand until Verizon purchased it almost two years ago and started going by Total Wireless. The company rebranded it to Total by Verizon in late 2022.

The space had been, for years, home to a psychic with signage noting "past, present & future." (If this space becomes a psychic again, they could go by Total Recall to pay homage to Verizon.)

Noted

A reader shared this today from along the Verizon building on 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

On the bright side, per the reader — at least the truck isn't parked in the bike lane.

P.S.
Might need to revisit the Brown Paint Wars

Noted

EVG reader Jen Pace shared this photo from the 13th Street side of the Verizon building at Second Avenue... where the Verizon maintenance crew is re-engaged in a brown paint battle with taggers... the wall was painted over late last week. And the band played on.

Updated: Brown out again at the Verizon building

The staff watching over the Verizon building on Second Avenue at 13th Street has apparently stocked up again on brown paint... the tags that lined the 13th Street side were painted over last week...



Perhaps this marks a return to the brown paint wars that dominated local headlines from 2012-2014.

Tags would fill up the wall. Someone would cover them with brown paint. The tags would return. So did the brown paint. And so on.

For several years it seemed as if Verizon was willing to just let the graffiti stay (in part because the 13th Street side was covered with a sidewalk bridge...)

In any event, here's what the wall looked liked before the latest brown out last week...







Updated 8/14

EVG reader Jen Pace noted these arrivals today...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Sidewalk bridge finally hauled away from the Verizon building on 2nd Avenue

Fire under sidewalk bridge on 13th Street temporarily brings an end to homeless encampment

First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint

Sidewalk bridge finally hauled away from the Verizon building on 2nd Avenue

Late last week, workers began removing the sidewalk bridge around the Verizon building on Second Avenue at 13th Street...


[Top 2 photos from Sunday]

And it was all gone by the end of the day Monday...



As we reported on Nov. 28, several residents pointed out that a growing number of travelers/crusties had been living under the sidewalk bridge for the past few months. A small fire on Nov. 26 temporarily brought an end to the encampment, as city workers tossed the mattresses and other found items.

One reader said of the pre-fire conditions:

They live and sleep there. They openly shoot up, get drunk, fight, party all night and block the sidewalk with mattresses, chairs — even tables.

The situation has become a total nightmare now.

According to nearby residents, it didn't appear that any construction work was even taking place in the building, that the sidewalk bridge was seemingly forgotten. (Verizon blamed the Department of Buildings for delayed inspections, per PIX 11.)

In any event, now that the sidewalk bridge is gone, will we see a return to the brown paint wars?



Previously on EV Grieve:
Fire under sidewalk bridge on 13th Street temporarily brings an end to homeless encampment

Fire under sidewalk bridge on 13th Street temporarily brings an end to homeless encampment

[Reader photo from October]

In recent months, several residents have said that a growing number of travelers/crusties have been living under the sidewalk bridge next to the Verizon building on 13th Street between Second Avenue and First Avenue.

Early Sunday evening, there were reports of a small fire under the sidewalk bridge.

Shortly after the FDNY departed, a dump truck arrived, and a crew discarded the various mattresses and furniture.


[Scorched-wall photo yesterday by Steven]

One resident on the block shared this about the recent activity under the sidewalk bridge "where the crusties have made home."

They live and sleep there. They openly shoot up, get drunk, fight, party all night and block the sidewalk with mattresses, chairs — even tables.

The situation has become a total nightmare now. This scaffolding — I swear it seems like it's been up 10 years and I've seen them do about maybe 10 days work on the building that entire time. It's become the homeless heroin spot now and it's incredibly disturbing to watch people shooting up. We really don't know what to do but something definitely has to be done.

Said one nearly 20-year resident of 13th Street:

Our block has been gross for the last six months. The homeless have moved in under the Verizon scaffolding ... I witness drug deals on the regular and the cops have only parked on the block one day — I’m ready to move! And now they cause a fire?

EVG correspondent Steven spoke with a super who works on the block. The super said that residents have called 311 "to no avail."

A few scattered items remained on the sidewalk yesterday...


[Photo yesterday by Steven]

As for the Verizon-owned building, there are multiple work permits on file with the city, including for "mechanical chiller replacement. Removal and replacement of chiller along with related piping." There are also permits for "new steel dunnage and steel framing to support new generator and fuel piping." There doesn't appear to be any current tenants in the circa 1923 building. (The building was also the site of a major fire in 1975.)

In several recent years, Verizon was engaged with the local graffiti community in the ongoing brown paint vs. tagging battle.

Meanwhile, one of the readers said that a few people had returned last night to sleep on 13th Street.


[Reader-submitted photo]

Verizon Wireless takes over former Verizon Wireless storefront on 2nd Avenue

Back in April, the Verizon Wireless outlet on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place closed after nearly three years here.

After several months on the rental market... the for lease sign came down and renovations commenced ... and yesterday, signs went up in the window showing the new tenant — Verizon Wireless...



H/T Steven

Reader report: Have you heard Verizon test its emergency generator on 2nd Avenue?

Via the EVG inbox...

I live on Second Avenue between 11th and 12th streets. Verizon has been testing their emergency generator on the roof of 204 Second Ave., between 12th and 13th streets for the past year or so. The noise from the generator is incredibly loud, like the sound of a jet engine at close range.

The DEP told me that by code, the emergency generator must be tested at least once a month. The tests last an hour or more each time. There is no predictability when the testing will take place. Verizon has turned the generator on very early Sunday mornings, and sometimes in the middle of the day. On Monday, the generator came on twice, once at 5:30 in the morning, which woke us and other neighbors up, and then again around noon. Wednesday night at 7 just as we sat down for dinner, the generator went on again for about an hour.

I have taken to calling the DEP each time the generator goes on and they have offered to come to my apartment to monitor the noise level. The DEP needs to take a reading when the generator is on and when it is off to get the ambient sound level in the apartment. If there is more than a 10db difference between the two then we have a case and Verizon could be ordered to do some sound attenuation to bring the generator noise below the threshold set by code.

The DEP has been very helpful, however so far we have been unsuccessful in getting them here with a meter while the generator is running. I have taken readings on an iPhone app and have found the sound of the generator to be over 10db from the ambient noise level in our apartment.

I am wondering if anyone else in the neighborhood has taken any action. Thanks for your help!

The noise is coming from the metal chimney shown here on the south side of the Verizon Building roof.

Verizon Wireless closes for good on 2nd Avenue

The Verizon Wireless on Second Avenue at St. Mark's Place has closed up shop, EVG correspondent Steven notes.

The storefront looks to be in the process of being cleaned out...



This Verizon outlet opened in September 2013, taking over the space from Cohen's Optical. This building seems to have a tough time holding on to retail tenants, such as DF Mavens and 7-Eleven. However, the owner of 99 Favor Taste is bringing Korean-style barbecue and Chinese hot pot to two of the empty storefronts on the St. Mark's side.

As for the Verizon, the space once housed in part the St Mark's Cinema... as seen here in "Moscow on the Hudson" with Robin Williams from 1984...



The cinema closed in 1985.

Brown and out on East 13th Street

An EVG reader, with perhaps a hint of disappoint in his email, noted that we hadn't, uh, noted the ongoing graffiti v. brown-paint battle along Verizon's wall on East 13th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue in a really long time.

Sure enough, it has been nearly 15 months.

OK! So the wall still attracts various tags...



... and images...



...and whatever this was...

Happy holidays from the brown wall at Verizon!

Holiday greetings from one of our favorite brown walls .... outside the Verizon building on East 13th Street at Second Avenue...

Thanks to EVG regular LIBERATION for the photo...

1st tag returns to Verizon's freshly painted brown wall

[This morning]

Workers painted over the rest of the tags along East 13th Street at Second Avenue on July 28.

It wasn't really the best brown paint job that we'd ever seen.



We walked by that day and noticed that workers got paint and water-blasted graffiti residue on the cars parked here.



Previously.

[Updated] Verizon getting brown on it

Well! Thirteen whole months have passed since our last post about the graffiti vs. brown paint back-and-forth on the Verizon building along East 13th Street.

You know how it went. Verizon had someone paint over the graffiti on the side of the building … only to have it return days later.

After investing in security cameras and gallons and gallons of brown paint, it seemed as if Verizon had given up here at Second Avenue.

But now! Verizon is having the wall painted brown again…





About half finished now.



And the tags will certainly return. Just too tempting of a canvas to be left brown.

Updated 9:24 a.m.

A reader tells us that the scrubbing and painting continues this morning...





Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint

Exciting business opens on Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Now open at the former Cohen's Optical space...

A Verizon Wireless store...

We were hoping a theater would open here again... (Perhaps in an alternate universe.)

Resident curious/irked about Verizon truck idling on Second Avenue

A resident is rather irked about the Verizon truck and accompanying tent that has taken up residence at the northeast corner of Second Avenue and East First Street...

A little background from the resident:

The motor runs continuously. The truck is rarely manned and I have never seen any actual construction work occurring. The truck occupies both a bicycle lane and the initial portion of the crosswalk for pedestrians crossing westward ... it also blocks traffic, biker and pedestrian visibility. The truck has been there, motor running, for approximately five weeks now (since June 1).

The general consensus seems to be that Verizon is installing fiber optics for FiOS service... unless you have some other explanation...

Verizon's freshly painted brown wall nearly lasts the weekend

We almost thought that Verizon had given up on painting over the graffiti along East 13th Street at Second Avenue ... been nearly a year ... but workers did just paint over all the tags... and this arrived during the weekend...



Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint

Why a lot of people think that Verizon sucks, especially along Avenue C

The WNYC News Blog has a post on how some residents and business owners in the East Village — particularly along Avenue C — have quit Verizon after extended phone and Internet outages dating back to Sandy. Many businesses were unable to process credit-card orders, and have lost business in the process.

Among those business along (or near!) Avenue C that made the switch to other providers, such as Time Warner and Clear: Bobwhite Lunch Supper Counter, Alphabet City Wine Co., Barnyard Cheese Shop and Brix Wine Shop.

Verizon "wouldn't say how many people and businesses are still without service and couldn't fully explain the persistent outages and poor communications along Avenue C," according to the article.

Said a Verizon spokesperson: "There are certain instances where we have access issues, getting into certain buildings, but people and businesses should feel confident that we’re working 24-hours, around the clock, with not only building managers and property owners, but also within our own network to get this restored."

Read the whole article here.

Have you been affected (or maybe infected) by the Verizon outage?

[EVG file photo]

A quick check on the Verizon wall

Been months since checked in here along East 13th Street at Second Avenue...

Should likely be painted brown again soon... unless Verizon has some other priorities these days...

Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint

People are pretty much just mocking Verizon's brown wall now

Well, as EVG Verizon Brown Wall Correspondent evilnyc notes... the freshly planted Verizon Brown Wall along East 13th Street at Second Avenue lasted just about a week... and now, there's even an arrow pointing to the seemingly useless security cameras...

Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint

Don't it make my brown wall blue

Hey! What's this along the Verizon building on East 13th Street at Second Avenue...?

Brownness! Freshly brown!

And no parking.

Thanks to EVG reader and Verizon Wall Correspondent evilnyc for the photos and update...

Previously on EV Grieve:
First tag reappears on the Verizon building

Brownout: Verizon building graffiti painted over

Verizon is going to blow the budget on brown paint