For sale

Mark Morosse

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A 2008 SmartMoney magazine article estimated that the earning power of Yale graduates outpaces that of their state-school counterparts by about $10,000 per year. But does an Ivy League pedigree do anything for the value of an inanimate object? One place to look for an answer is the New Haven–area warehouse of Joe DeRisi’s deconstruction and materials salvage business, Urban Miners LLC. It has become an unusual museum—actually, a showroom; everything is for sale—of Yale architectural history. Thanks to a recent flurry of demolition on campus, Urban Miners has acquired an assortment of artifacts from Yale buildings, among them fireplace mantels, ornate table legs, cast-iron grilles, an 1870s stained-glass window, and several tons of antique cast-iron radiators.

Does a Yale provenance make an old radiator more attractive? DeRisi is certain that it does. Even so, Yale remnants are cheap. An antique radiator, depending on condition, will set you back about $140.