New York City Building Buckle Repair to Begin With Tiny Adjustments

Repair work is set to commence on a Midtown Manhattan high-rise that buckled over the summer, with crews planning to lift its sagging floors in minute increments. The work at the former Pfizer headquarters, located at 235 E. 42nd Street, will involve jacking the floors up by 1/64th of an inch at a time, according to newly filed engineering plans. Ultimately, the floors are expected to be raised by approximately 7 inches.

The 37-story commercial building, a major office-to-housing conversion project, was evacuated in early July after support beams began buckling on the 21st floor. The incident caused several floors to cave in and led to falling debris.

Emergency crews were able to shore up the building following the incident. A third-party engineer was brought in to assess the situation, with Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani stating at the time that the building was stabilizing. The developer, MetroLoft, initially proposed rebuilding the affected section, but the strategy has since shifted to the current floor-jacking plan.

Structural engineers reviewing the revised plans have indicated that the incremental approach appears safe. The Department of Buildings has confirmed that the jacking is scheduled to begin this week, and records show that columns were removed last month. A spokesperson for the department stated that work would not proceed if it posed a hazard to the public and that the repair plans were approved after extensive vetting by department engineers and an independent firm.

The building, situated near Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building, is planned to become a 1,600-unit residential complex, making it the city's largest office-to-housing conversion project.