The old Pfizer headquarters at 235 East 42nd Street in Midtown East showed signs of stabilization Wednesday morning as officials scaled back emergency restrictions around the site.
Streets that had been cordoned off since Tuesday were gradually reopened, and residents and workers returned to nearby buildings after the area was no longer considered high-risk. Fire Department crews began leaving the scene, and the immediate threat of collapse had lessened.
Shoring work begins as evacuations ease
Overnight, crews installed temporary supports on the building’s 20th and 21st floors, where buckling had been observed. New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani described the situation late Tuesday as stable and safe.
Five buildings remained under full or partial evacuation orders as of Wednesday morning, including a Hampton Inn. Protesters gathered at the site, and a truck arrived with a sign labeling the location a “Crime Scene,” accusing developers of neglecting safety standards.
The emergency response started around 8 a.m. Tuesday after reports of bricks falling from the high-rise. Inspectors found several sagging floors on the upper levels, as well as two buckled support columns, leading to evacuations of construction workers and nine adjacent buildings.
Developer calls collapse fears overstated
Nathan Berman, part of Metro Loft Management, which is redeveloping the site, told reporters that concerns about the building’s stability had been exaggerated. While videos showed sagging floors and damaged columns, he insisted the structure was never in danger of collapsing and that the problems were fixable.
Related: GSA Rent Bill vs. DOGE Analysis
Berman stated the design had been approved by structural engineers. He called the incident a freak accident involving two specific columns that either weren’t reinforced or weren’t reinforced enough, causing them to fail.
The project, a partnership between Metro Loft and developer David Werner, plans to convert the former headquarters into a residential complex with roughly 1,600 units. It includes adding floors to the adjacent 219 East 42nd Street while redesigning the building at 235 East 42nd Street.
Repairs will involve replacing the two failed columns and lifting the sagging floors. The project had been running two and a half months ahead of schedule, but the setback is expected to push the timeline back to its original completion date in 2027.
The building had previously faced multiple violations from the Department of Buildings last year, though it remains unclear whether those issues contributed to the current problems.
City officials have not yet released a full report on the cause of the structural issues.