A residential conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan remained in a precarious condition on Tuesday afternoon after structural columns on an upper floor buckled, prompting a safety response and nearby evacuations. According to published reports, structural columns on the 21st floor of the property have been compromised, and authorities are continuing to monitor the situation. The incident has not resulted in any reported injuries, and all construction workers at the site have been accounted for.
Out of caution, occupants of nine neighboring buildings have been evacuated while officials assess the structural integrity of the tower undergoing conversion. The building, located at 235 E. 42nd St., is being transformed from the former Pfizer headquarters into a residential property, a process that remains underway as authorities and development teams respond to the structural issue.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference that the building remains unstable and that additional movement has been observed in one of the affected columns since officials arrived at the scene. He noted that the Department of Buildings is using drones to evaluate the structure and to gain a clearer view of the compromised area without putting additional personnel at risk.
Metro Loft Management, which is co-developing the conversion with David Werner, issued a statement indicating that the building is not believed to be in danger of a full collapse. However, Fire Department of New York Chief of Department John Esposito said that a localized collapse remains a concern. He explained that the tower is a steel frame building, which in his view makes a total collapse unlikely, but leaves open the possibility of a failure limited to the area around the damaged columns.
Esposito emphasized that the primary concern for first responders and city officials is the ongoing movement within the compromised section of the structure. Authorities continue to monitor that movement closely while maintaining safety perimeters and keeping nearby properties temporarily vacated.
The development team publicly thanked the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department and the Department of Buildings for their rapid response and coordination at the scene. In their statement, the developers stressed that safety for individuals at and around the site is their top priority and expressed relief that no injuries have been reported.
The developers also said that, as clarified by the Department of Buildings, no debris has fallen from the tower. They described the structural problem as affecting a small section of one of the two buildings on the site and reiterated that, consistent with comments from an FDNY spokesperson, the entire building is not considered at risk of collapse. Officials and project stakeholders are expected to continue investigations and monitoring as work on the conversion remains on hold pending further safety determinations.
