NEW YORK - The last pay phone in New York City was taken out of service Monday, marking the end of an era during which the devices were once ubiquitous in the country's largest city. 

ABC 7 reported that the last pay phone, operated by Verizon, was officially cut off from service and removed from Midtown Manhattan on Monday morning.

"What a beautiful day to be here to celebrate the end of what used to be the primary lifeline service for many New Yorkers," Matthew Fraser, New York City's chief technology officer, told ABC 7.

The city's pay phones had long-declined in use with the rise of cellphones, and that decline only accelerated in recent years after New York began installing LinkNYC kiosks—which offer free WiFi and phone calls—across the city.

City officials said any pay phones located on public property will remain, along with a handful of "walk-in" phone booths located in other parts of the city.