(NEW YORK) \u2014 Several Midtown Manhattan blocks were evacuated Tuesday morning after construction workers discovered the structure of a massive office building being converted into residential housing was compromised on the 21st\u00a0floor, officials said.<\/p>\n
The building at 235 E. 42nd\u00a0Street has continued to move as engineers and first responders work to secure the site, with fears there could be a partial collapse, officials said at a press conference.<\/p>\n
The city established a frozen zone for several blocks surrounding the building following the 911 calls that were made around 8:00 a.m. after workers \u201cobserved structural support beams beginning to buckle,\u201d the NYPD said.<\/p>\n
That caused the 21st through 26th floors of the building to start caving under the stress, officials from FDNY and the city\u2019s Department of Buildings said.<\/p>\n
The fear, officials said, is a partial collapse, which could be internal. A full collapse onto the street is less likely, Fire Chief John Esposito said at Tuesday\u2019s news conference.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe building has continued to move since we have been on scene,\u201d Esposito told reporters. \u201cIt does mean it is not yet stable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Esposito said that when first responders arrived, the building had moved, but a city official told ABC News around 2:45 p.m. that the building had not moved for two hours.<\/p>\n
A team of six people was able to enter the building around 3 p.m. to determine if it was safe to begin shoring efforts, according to the official.<\/p>\n
There were no reported injuries and all construction workers were safely evacuated, according to police.<\/p>\n
Structural engineers monitored the building\u2019s movement from the outside, New York City Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is extensive work going on now to evaluate the situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that a frozen zone was set up between 40th and 45th Streets and 1st and 3rd Avenues. Those streets are closed to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.<\/p>\n
The 37-story commercial building, formerly the Pfizer headquarters, is currently undergoing renovations to convert it into a residential building, according to the DOB. It is one of the largest office-to-apartment conversion projects in city history, officials said.<\/p>\n
Metro Loft, the developer of the conversion project, said in a statement that it is working with the Department of Buildings as it investigates the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority,\u201d the developer said.<\/p>\n
This building has seven violations between July and December 2025, resulting in more than $32,000 in fines issued, according to DOB records.<\/p>\n
The mayor said that seven other buildings near 235 East 42nd Street were also evacuated, including a nearby Hampton Inn, according to officials.<\/p>\n
Mamdani said at an unrelated news conference earlier Tuesday morning that among the evacuated locations was a school with 400 students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be honest with New Yorkers that this is a fast-developing situation. We are taking it minute by minute,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
The mayor added that the people living and working in the frozen zone will get updates and thanked them for cooperating with the evacuations.<\/p>\n
Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement, saying she is in contact with city officials and state building inspectors are also on the scene.<\/p>\n
ABC\u00a0News\u2019\u00a0Nicole\u00a0Katchis\u00a0and\u00a0Tonya\u00a0Simpson\u00a0contributed\u00a0to\u00a0this\u00a0report.<\/p>\n
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