A Midtown Manhattan high-rise emergency unfolded this week when a structural column buckled at an under-construction tower, prompting evacuations across several nearby buildings and shutting down busy streets in one of the city’s most crowded corridors. As of Tuesday night, engineers were racing to stabilize the structure, and while the situation remained serious, officials reported cautious progress.

What Happened at 235 East 42nd Street

The trouble started early Tuesday morning at 235 East 42nd Street, a 37-story tower in Midtown East. Around 8 a.m., construction workers noticed cracks forming inside the building. According to the FDNY, they then spotted structural support columns beginning to buckle on the 21st and 22nd floors and quickly evacuated themselves.

That buckling set off a chain reaction. Officials say floors 21 through 26 began caving under the strain, raising immediate fears about the building’s stability. Remarkably, no one was hurt. Police confirmed that every construction worker on-site made it out safely.

The building carries some history. Once the global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, the 1970s-era office tower is now being converted into luxury apartments. Its location adds to the concern: it sits roughly a block from the iconic Chrysler Building, wedged into the stretch between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.

How Crews Are Stabilizing the Tower

By Tuesday evening, the response had shifted from emergency reaction to careful stabilization. Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said crews had begun installing temporary shoring after inspectors reached the 21st floor.

“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,” Tigani said. He noted that a third-party engineer had also been brought in for an independent assessment.

The stabilization effort includes several key steps:

• Jacks have been positioned to support the structure.
• New steel is being installed to reinforce the building.
• Monitoring stations have been set up both inside and outside the tower to track any movement.

Officials believe the added weight from upper floors played a central role. Because the building had already topped out at 37 stories, the load-bearing columns grew increasingly stressed as more infrastructure was added above the 21st floor.

A “Serious” Situation, Officials Warn

City leaders were careful not to downplay the danger. Speaking early Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the tower as unstable and called it “an extremely serious situation.”

The primary worry, officials said, is a partial collapse, possibly one contained inside the structure. Fire Chief John Esposito said a full collapse spilling onto the street was less likely, but he stressed the building was still in motion when crews first arrived.

“The building has continued to move since we have been on scene,” Esposito said. “It does mean it is not yet stable.”

By evening, the picture had improved somewhat. Tigani reported that after hours of close monitoring, teams had not detected further movement. “We have monitoring positions set up outside and inside the building. That’s allowing us to track the situation,” he said, adding that protocols were ready to pull people out immediately if any shifting was sensed. For the moment, he described conditions as consistent, stable, and safe.

A six-person team entered the building around 3 p.m. and determined that contractors could safely proceed with the temporary shoring. Attention has now turned to a safety plan for Wednesday and the days ahead, when officials will decide the building’s fate.

Which Buildings Were Evacuated

The emergency forced a wide evacuation zone. As of Tuesday evening, the following buildings remained under an evacuation order and could not be occupied:

• 815 Second Avenue
• 235 East 43rd Street (the Hampton Inn Manhattan Grand Central)
• 231 East 43rd Street
• 225 East 43rd Street
• 217 East 43rd Street (partial evacuation, limited to the ground-floor restaurant)

The disruption reached beyond office workers. One of the evacuated buildings, 225 East 43rd Street, houses the Kennedy International School, which was running a summer camp for 400 children from Pre-K through 5th grade this week. The Israeli Consulate at 800 Second Avenue was also cleared as a precaution. Residents at 222 East 44th Street, by contrast, were told they could return home.

Street Closures and Access

Traffic restrictions accompanied the evacuations. All vehicular traffic remained closed on 42nd and 43rd Streets between Second and Third Avenues. People who live or work in the surrounding area, but not inside one of the vacated buildings, could still access the neighborhood. Most other traffic and pedestrian restrictions were lifted. Mayor Mamdani said anyone within the frozen zone would keep receiving updates.

A Building With a Troubled Record

The tower’s problems didn’t begin Tuesday. Part of one of the largest office-to-apartment conversion projects in city history, the building had already drawn about two dozen complaints since last year.

Those complaints ran the gamut: a worker using a leaf blower to clear material off the roof, a worker falling from a ladder placed on uneven ground, and a large object falling through five floors that nearly struck someone. In nearly every case, no formal violation was issued because inspectors found nothing wrong once they arrived on-site.

Metro Loft, the developer behind the conversion, said it is cooperating with the Department of Buildings investigation. “The safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority,” the company said.

What Comes Next

The cause of the instability won’t be pinned down until emergency trusses are fully in place, according to the buildings commissioner. Until then, the focus stays firmly on safety.

“There is an active investigation underway about what brought us to this point,” Mayor Mamdani said. “I think our focus right now is making sure this site is safe, this building is safe, this neighborhood is safe.”

The mayor added that the review will press forward so the city can identify any mistakes and ensure they aren’t repeated. For now, the neighborhood waits as engineers work to determine whether the former Pfizer headquarters can be saved.