{"id":289713,"date":"2026-07-07T22:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289713\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:34:10","slug":"manhattan-high-rise-remains-unstable-after-columns-buckle-during-office-to-residential-conversion-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289713\/","title":{"rendered":"Manhattan high-rise remains unstable after columns buckle during office-to-residential conversion | News"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tanchor<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The former Pfizer World Headquarters at 219-235 East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Photo by Norbert Nagel, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

A Midtown Manhattan high-rise under construction remained unstable Tuesday after officials found buckled columns, cracks, and sagging floors at 235 East 42nd Street, a former Pfizer office building being converted into residential use.<\/p>\n

FDNY officials said the structural issues were found between the 21st and 26th floors after a call came in around 8 a.m. The building and nearby properties were evacuated, including a school and the Israeli consulate. No injuries have been reported.<\/p>\n

Just before at 8 a.m. Tuesday, the FDNY received reports of a structural issue at an active construction site on East 42nd Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. The call came in for reported issues at a 37-story building at 235 East 42nd Street that is currently\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NavUpNGAJE<\/a>
\u2014 FDNY (@FDNY) July 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The 37-story building is part of a major office-to-residential conversion led by Metro Loft, with Gensler<\/a> listed as design architect, interior architect, and architect-of-record for the project. The redevelopment is planned to create more than 1,600 apartments, making it one of New York City\u2019s largest office-to-housing conversions.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Archinect previously reported on the conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters in 2025<\/a>, when the project was announced as one of the largest office-to-residential conversions in New York City.<\/p>\n

City officials said engineers and emergency responders are assessing the structure floor by floor and preparing a stabilization plan involving emergency beams and columns. FDNY Chief John Esposito said a total collapse was considered unlikely, but a localized collapse remained a concern.<\/p>\n

Hat tip to Archinect forum member graphemic, who first flagged the incident in this Archinect discussion thread<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\tSimilar articles on Archinect that may interest you…<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t