As recently as March 30, 2011, Mr. Harman wrote, it "may be possible to accommodate the combined Newsweek and The Daily Beast operations at the world class 18th Street IAC building." Here's the elegantly worded memo:

From: Harman, Sidney
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2010 5:04 PM
To: ALL_NEW_YORK_STAFF
Subject: From Sidney Harman

At our last  'all hands' meeting, someone asked me whether our move to Hanover Square would be our last. The question had a near biblical quality. I replied that I was committed to a profitable N/W in three years and that when we were standing on our own feet, I would press to find more elegant quarters. Now, thanks  to the imagination and generosity of Barry Diller, it may be possible to accommodate the combined Newsweek and The Daily Beast operations at the world class 18th Street IAC building. If the space will work, we will make every effort to complete the move before March 30, 2011 - and at no extra cost to the newly merged company. I had no idea that such good fortune might greet our  'wandering tribe' so soon.  If we can make this work, we will temporarily house TDB staff at Hanover Square while construction proceeds at 18th St. More inconvenience, I fear, but in the end very, very well worth it.  Joe Galarneau on the N/W side and his counterpart, Jason Stewart on TDB side will head the effort, reporting to our CEO, Stephen Colvin.  He and I will keep you advised. 

With warm regards, Sidney Harman

"Wandering tribe," indeed. The IAC building would be Newsweek's fifth location in less than two years, including its longtime home at 251 West 57th Street, two different spaces at 395 Hudson Street, and Hanover Square. 

Tina Brown, who is at work assembling her staff for the new Newsweek, did not like what she saw when touring the Financial District space last month. Other staffers think it's not so bad. One of them, Ryan Jones, created the image at right for his blog.

(Disclosure: I worked at Newsweek until Oct. 29.)