A 37-story Manhattan high-rise, formerly the Pfizer headquarters, was stabilized late Tuesday after construction issues caused buckling support columns and sagging floors, prompting widespread evacuations. Officials reported no further movement in the structure, allowing residents to return to several of the seven evacuated buildings.
New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani stated that the building had been monitored for many hours without any observed movement. The incident began Tuesday morning when workers discovered the internal structural damage within the 1970s-era office tower, which is being converted into over 1,600 luxury apartments.
Firefighters responded around 8 a.m. Tuesday, leading to the evacuation of adjacent buildings, including a school, diplomatic offices, and hotels in the bustling Midtown corridor near Grand Central Terminal. Mayor Zohran Mamdani described the situation as "extremely serious" while engineers conducted floor-by-floor inspections.
By Tuesday evening, contractors had begun shoring up the damaged area. City officials determined that the damaged columns were no longer shifting, although repair work is expected to continue and may disrupt the surrounding area.
Fire Chief John Esposito indicated that officials were concerned about a potential localized structural failure rather than a complete collapse of the steel-framed building. A visibly bent column on the 21st floor, along with observed cracks and sagging floors, led to the extensive precautionary response.
Nathan Berman, founder of developer MetroLoft, suggested that additional weight from the building's upper-floor expansion likely contributed to the damage. However, he maintained that the building's core structure remains sound, stating that "ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact." Berman added that investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the column buckling.
