Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of New York’s Department of Buildings, said late Tuesday that the Midtown Manhattan building where two support columns buckled earlier that day was "stable" as crews worked round-the-clock to shore and stabilize the structure, though streets and some buildings remained closed while work continued.
The structure at 235 East 42nd Street, between Second and Third avenues near Grand Central Terminal, is the former Pfizer headquarters being converted into 1,600 luxury rental apartments as part of a two-building office-to-residential conversion that includes adding new floors to one tower.
More than 100 fire and EMS personnel responded to reports of bricks falling just before 8 a.m. at the 37-story site, and Department of Buildings officials said when they arrived they did not see falling debris but found structural damage and sagging floor conditions. Video from inside the building showed two buckled columns on the 21st floor and officials said floors were sagging between the 21st and the 26th floors. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said, "the box beams -- the steel beams -- have started to bend and deflect from the weight" and that because the building is steel-frame a collapse would likely be localized rather than total.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said there was "additional movement in one of the compromised columns" earlier in the day, and after several hours with no further movement emergency crews went back inside and proceeded floor by floor. The Department of Buildings said structural engineers were to begin shoring up the building with emergency trusses, with installation to begin soon after prep work and staging.
City officials established a frozen zone and a collapse zone from 40th to 45th streets between First and Third avenues, shutting the area to pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Several nearby buildings that house more than 100 businesses remained evacuated, and officials said they were going building by building to determine any changes to closures; residents of 222 East 44th Street were later told it was safe to return.
Cliff Johnsen, a Steamfitters Union spokesperson, described cracked windows, bent beams and concrete falling from the roof and blamed the developer, saying the developer had sought to add 16 stories and "didn't add the right amount of steel." MetroLoft, one of the companies leading the project, thanked first responders, said no injuries were reported and that the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings, and the Department of Buildings clarified that no debris fell from the building. City records show the contractor, 235 GC LLC, received multiple violations and fines last year, including a $5,000 penalty in July 2025 after a piece of window glass fell and a $10,000 penalty and a temporary stop-work order in August 2025 after a metal panel fell from the 33rd floor. Construction accident attorney Chris Gorayeb said there is likely to be extensive litigation to determine responsibility, and investigators will have to determine whether the failure was in the design, the construction, or somewhere in between as on-site crews work to stabilize the structure.
City officials said they were bringing in emergency beams and columns to support the building and that officials "feel confident in the emergency plan we have now," but that the neighborhood would remain tense "for the next couple of days." As of Wednesday morning, traffic remained restricted on East 42nd and 43rd Streets between Second and Third avenues and five buildings in the area remained partially or fully evacuated. Officials also said about 400 children were evacuated from a nearby school. Drone footage and video captured in recent reporting appear to show steel bending inside the tower and a slight lean to the building.