A commercial building in Midtown Manhattan, evacuated Tuesday due to fears of a structural collapse, had been cited for multiple dangerous construction safety violations in the latter half of 2025. The city Department of Buildings issued seven violations between July and December 2025, resulting in over $32,000 in fines.
Among the violations were failure to adhere to submitted construction plans, lack of pre-shift safety communication, and not reporting an incident that led to a fatality or injury. The building, located at 235 E. 42nd St., is undergoing a conversion from office space to approximately 1,600 apartments.
The general contractor for the site, Robert Travis of 235 GC LLC, received the first violation in July 2025 after a piece of window glass fell from the eighth floor onto a sidewalk shed during an alteration job. The following month, a metal piece dislodged from the 33rd floor, landing on the sidewalk below. Inspectors found that workers had not engaged in required pre-shift safety communication.
In December 2025, a worker fell 6 feet from a platform ladder while dismantling a crane. City records indicated the ladder was not placed on a flat, level surface at the time of the incident.
The evacuation on Tuesday morning occurred around 8:11 a.m. when construction workers observed two support beams bending and appearing to fail. According to the Department of Buildings, the site safety manager reported the structural concern. Fire officials stated that floors between the 21st and 26th levels showed signs of sagging under pressure. The building's conversion is described as the most significant office-to-residential conversion in the United States.