Workers began installing temporary supports Tuesday evening to stabilize a Manhattan high-rise after structural problems forced the evacuation of the building and several surrounding properties, though city officials warned that the situation remained serious despite signs the structure had stopped shifting.
The 37-story building at 235 E. 42nd Street, the former global headquarters of Pfizer, had been undergoing conversion into more than 1,600 apartments when construction workers discovered buckling steel columns and sagging floors Tuesday morning. Officials said the workers immediately evacuated the building, prompting a broader emergency response in the busy Midtown corridor near Grand Central Terminal.
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New York City officials said engineering crews completed preparations Tuesday evening and began installing temporary shoring designed to support the damaged section of the building. Structural engineers entered the building earlier after monitoring equipment indicated the damaged columns had stopped moving, allowing contractors to begin stabilization work.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the incident as an “extremely serious situation” after officials observed continued movement in one of the compromised columns earlier in the day. Fire Department Chief John Esposito said the danger was believed to be a localized collapse rather than a total failure of the steel-framed structure.
Nine nearby buildings, including a school hosting about 400 children, diplomatic offices, and a hotel, were evacuated as a precaution. Streets surrounding the building were closed to vehicles and pedestrians while crews assessed the damage. By Tuesday evening, officials said residents of at least one evacuated apartment building had been cleared to return home, with additional evaluations continuing.
No injuries were reported as bricks fell from the building as a result of the partial collapse.
Officials said the cause of the structural failure remains under investigation. The building’s developer, MetroLoft, said it is cooperating with the city’s Department of Buildings and maintained that the overall structure is not at risk of a complete collapse, though emergency repairs are necessary before investigations can determine what caused the columns to buckle.
PARTIAL COLLAPSE OF TOWERING MANHATTAN BUILDING SPURS DOWNTOWN EVACUATION
The redevelopment project, expected to become New York City’s largest office-to-residential conversion, includes adding new floors atop the former office tower and transforming the property into a mixed-use residential complex.
The building and its developers have a history of complaints and violations with the city. The building has a total of 22 violations dating as far back as 2020, mostly for failing to file elevator inspection and testing reports, according to the New York Times. Fox News reported that site owner David Werner Real Estate Investments and developer MetroLoft were previously sued over alleged unsafe work conditions after a worker suffered “serious and permanent personal injuries” after falling from an elevated height when a wooden platform collapsed in 2025.
