The New York Times, despite the same financial problems that many newspapers are having these days, has just moved into a shiny new skyscraper some distance from its old headquarters just off Times Square.
Now its getting rid of some of its old no-longer needed artifacts. Among the first to go were the white globe-shaped lamps that lined the street side of old building (similar to the lamps that once lined the old Daily Mail and Evening News building on Tudor Street). They went for several hundred dollars apiece.
The latest New York Times artifact to go on the auction block is the 26 feet long four pedestal board room table that over the years was used for news room conferences and official meetings. People who have sat around it have included some of the world’s most famous politicians, United Nations leaders, prime ministers and showbiz celebrities.
‘It’s hard to imagine who hasn’t sat around that table’said Andrew Rosenthal, editorial page editor of the New York Times. ‘Anyone with an axe to grind came around and sat at the table”.
And who was the winner in the sell-off? A Canadian antique dealer submitted the winning bid of just under $5,000.
Over the years, Rosenthal said, conversations – and arguments – around the table had ranged from the wars in Vietnam and Iraq to the latest political developments in Washington. Even whether soft drinks should be served in New York’s school.
A ritual was the serving of coffee when conversation was lagging, he added. ‘You could tell how important the visitor by the quality of the coffee and whether the coffee was served in china or paper cups”.
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