Construction workers discovered buckling columns Tuesday morning, July 7, in a 1970s-era 37-story Midtown Manhattan office building at 235 East 42nd Street that is being converted into luxury apartments, prompting fears the structure could collapse. Firefighters responded around 8 a.m., leading to the evacuation of the construction site and seven nearby buildings, including a school, diplomatic offices, and several hotels. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it “an extremely serious situation.”
The building was once the corporate headquarters for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
The building’s developer said the tower’s upper 15 floors, beginning on the 22nd floor, were undergoing renovations to expand outward, making them wider than the floors below, according to news reports. He added that two support beams that visibly buckled on the 21st floor may not have been properly reinforced.
After engineers worked to stabilize the building throughout the day, officials reported no further movement. “We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,” said Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, during a Tuesday news conference.
By Tuesday evening, the building had been stabilized, allowing officials to lift some of the precautionary evacuation orders. Residents were permitted to return to several of the seven buildings that had been evacuated.
There have been multiple anonymous complaints about the building’s falling debris and unsafe conditions prior to a significant buckling incident. In fact, the building has been the subject of 27 separate complaints filed with the Department of Buildings since the redevelopment process began
Frequently Asked Questions
What is being developed in the former Pfizer building?
The building is being converted into luxury apartments.
How many complaints have been filed about the building?
A total of 27 complaints have been filed with the Department of Buildings.
What concerns have been reported about the former Pfizer building?
Complaints include issues of falling debris and unsafe conditions.
Incident Details
- Location: Midtown, New York, Manhattan — 235 East 42nd Street
- Date: Jul 7, 2026 at 12:00 AM
- Type: News Report
- Property: Apartment
