Midtown Manhattan High-Rise Stabilized After Buckling Columns at 235 E. 42nd St

A Midtown Manhattan high-rise under construction that threatened to collapse after structural columns buckled was stabilized with galvanized steel beams and emergency jacks, city officials said Wednesday.

“In short: Interior columns have buckled and floors have started to sag inside a New York City high-rise being converted from commercial offices into luxury apartments”

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The building at 235 E. 42nd St., the former Pfizer headquarters now being renovated into luxury residential housing, had a frozen zone that was reduced by Wednesday morning to only E. 42nd St and E. 43rd St between Second and Third Aves being closed to the public.

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, "As soon as we answer the emergency questions around safety in this moment we are going to be conducting a full investigation as to how we got to this point," describing a "breakdown in that process."

Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said the building is stable and that emergency crews went up to the 21st floor to shore up areas around where steel beams had visibly buckled during the project that planned to add 11 more floors.

NBC New York reported that the FDNY received a call just before 8 a.m. about falling bricks and that floors 21 through 26 caved in, with multiple cracks and sagging floors reported throughout the building.

New York City Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said an assessment determined the building was "determined to be unstable," and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, "The building remains unstable," while officials warned it continued to move.

Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani told WABC that "We were able to get to the 21st floor to inspect the work that's being done and feel confident that the emergency work is stabilizing the situation," as temporary shoring and new steel were installed.

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Neighbors who watched the evacuation and closures described the structure as too dangerous, with Madan KC saying, "I think they have to redo the building, demolish it and rebuild it," and Jeremy Lim saying he worried demolishing it would cause air pollution.

The project developer MetroLoft said it has identified the issue and is working with NYC's Department of Buildings to fix it, and it stated the building was never at risk of collapse and no debris fell.

CNN reported that Mayor Zohran Mamdani said there had been no additional movement observed, while the developer said faulty column supports carrying too much weight were to blame and that the exact reason they bent would be determined "in due time."

City officials said the investigation would not begin until after the building is stabilized, and the DOB spokesman described it as including "a detailed review of all associated plans and construction documents" plus interviews and a full inspection sweep.

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NBC New York said DOB inspectors and engineers would remain on site to monitor progress of the work and continue their investigation into the structural failure, while the city said those orders would lift when multi-agency teams deem it safe.

The emergency plan described by the mayor and DOB spokesman involved structural reinforcement of all floors beginning on the ninth floor all the way up to the roof, and Mamdani said crews would work through the day to get up to the roof and down to floor nine.

Three adjoining buildings—815 Second Ave., 235 E. 43rd St. and 231 E. 43rd St.—remained under a full vacate order, while residents living in 217 E. 43rd St. were allowed to return home but the restaurant on the first floor remained under a vacate order.

CNN reported that a third-party forensic evaluation has been ordered in the investigation by the city’s Department of Buildings, and it said the process would include reviews of construction documents, any video or photo evidence and interviews with witnesses.