One Letterman’s treasure is another man’s trash. <br /> <br />Only hours after David Letterman bid farewell to his “Late Show,” a demolition crew began dissembling the show’s iconic set Thursday morning at the Ed Sullivan Theater. <br /> <br />Fans stood outside on a brisk morning hopeful of grabbing a souvenir as most of the set was tossed into dumpsters outside the theater. <br /> <br />“This is heartbreaking,” said a stage manager walking away with a “Late Show” sweatshirt. <br /> <br />The chairs where the Letterman audience sat were torn out of the floor and thrown in the garbage. A team of workers lugged out pieces of the city skyline that rose nightly behind Letterman’s desk since the CBS show’s debut in August 1993. <br /> <br />Several of the blue-shirted men squad carried pieces of the Brooklyn Bridge replica that provided a backdrop for thousands of Letterman interviews across 22 years at his Midtown home. Furniture belonging to Letterman musical director Paul Shaffer was removed carefully for shipment to the bespactacled bandleader. <br /> <br />The 68-year-old Letterman recorded his final show Wednesday evening inside the legendary Broadway theater before an emotional crowd moved to both tears and laughter. The extra-long show ran 20 minutes past its usual hour. <br /> <br />Letterman’s last show featured a Hollywood who’s who of friends and fans, from Alec Baldwin to Jerry Seinfeld to Bill Murray, along with a cameo from Peyton Manning and a musical sendoff by the Foo Fighters. The talk show host’s seat will be filled by Stephen Colbert — but not until Sept. 8.
