\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWorkers were expected to begin stabilizing a Manhattan high-rise Tuesday evening after buckled columns and sagging floors forced evacuations in and around the midtown construction site.Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings \u2014 including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels \u2014 in the busy corridor of midtown had been rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. and found the precarious conditions.Mayor Zohran Mamdani said early Tuesday afternoon that the building remained unstable and was \u201can extremely serious situation.\u201dHis office said later that a team had gone floor-by-floor and observed no additional movement of the damaged columns, giving on-site contractors the greenlight to move forward with emergency repairs.The temporary measures are meant to stabilize the building and are expected to stretch into the coming days, impacting a busy corridor of midtown near the famed Grand Central train station that is a hub for metro area commuters and residents as well as tourists.The building, which is the former headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is located just down the street from New York City icons like the Chrysler Building and the United Nations headquarters. The gleaming glass-and-steel building is in the midst of being converted to luxury apartments.Leila Bozorg, one of Mamdani\u2019s deputy mayors, said it was \u201cencouraging\u201d the building did not appear to be shifting as officials went up into and past the damaged floors on their way to the 37th floor \u2014 the top floor \u2014 of the building.But from the street below, a badly bent structural column could be seen through a large glass window on the 21st floor. The fire department, which also posted images of the column, said they found multiple cracks and sagging floors as well.Asked earlier in the day if there was concern of a collapse, Fire Chief John Esposito said the way the steel-framed building is constructed, \u201cit would not be a total collapse, it would be more of a localized collapse.\u201dStill, nearby buildings and streets remained evacuated, including a school and the Israeli consulate just across the street. The building itself was empty at the time, other than for the construction workers.Ramesh Yallappa, a tourist who was among those evacuated from a nearby hotel, said he initially feared it was a fire in the hotel when an immediate evacuation was ordered Tuesday morning.\u201cThat moment, we were really really scared,\u201d he said.With more than 1,600 units, the developers say the project is the largest office-to-residential conversion in the city\u2019s history. Gensler, the architectural firm leading the project, says on its website that it is transforming a pair of 1970s-era office buildings by adding more than a dozen stories and redesigning an adjoining tower.Building department records show the project has been fined by the city for several safety violations, including glass and metal falling off the building, along with an incident where a worker fell off a ladder.Spokespersons for Gensler and MetroLoft, the project developer, didn\u2019t return messages seeking comment.But in a statement to The New York Times, MetroLoft stressed that the building itself is not at risk of collapse and that no debris fell from the building.Nathan Berman, founder of MetroLoft, told The Wall Street Journal that the added weight from widening the top 15 or so floors of the building likely caused the damage. The two columns that buckled may not have been properly reinforced, he told the newspaper.\u201cWhy those particular two columns and nothing else? We don\u2019t know,\u201d Berman told the Journal. \u201cWe\u2019re investigating that.\u201dHe maintained the building\u2019s integrity wasn\u2019t compromised.\u201cNinety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact,\u201d Berman told the Journal. \u201cThere is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building.\u201dFire and building officials said they were going building-by-building to assess the surrounding area and determine whether street closures or evacuation orders could be lifted. By late Tuesday, some area residents were told it was safe to return, according to Mamdani\u2019s office.\u201cOur top priority right now is the safety of those who live in this area and the safety of those who work in this area,\u201d the mayor said Tuesday morning.Ed Miller, an area resident, said he walks under the building\u2019s scaffolding several times a day, but will find other routes home going forward.\u201cThe building was pretty old,\u201d said Miles Grant, who said he used to work at the building. \u201cIt definitely needed a lot of work to become ready for residential.\u201d ___Izaguirre reported from Lindenhurst, New York. Associated Press video journalist David R. Martin in New York contributed to this story.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Workers were expected to begin stabilizing a Manhattan high-rise Tuesday evening after buckled columns and sagging floors forced evacuations in and around the midtown construction site.<\/p>\n
Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings \u2014 including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels \u2014 in the busy corridor of midtown had been rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. and found the precarious conditions.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said early Tuesday afternoon that the building remained unstable and was \u201can extremely serious situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
His office said later that a team had gone floor-by-floor and observed no additional movement of the damaged columns, giving on-site contractors the greenlight to move forward with emergency repairs.<\/p>\n
The temporary measures are meant to stabilize the building and are expected to stretch into the coming days, impacting a busy corridor of midtown near the famed Grand Central train station that is a hub for metro area commuters and residents as well as tourists.<\/p>\n
The building, which is the former headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is located just down the street from New York City icons like the Chrysler Building and the United Nations headquarters. The gleaming glass-and-steel building is in the midst of being converted to luxury apartments.<\/p>\n
Leila Bozorg, one of Mamdani\u2019s deputy mayors, said it was \u201cencouraging\u201d the building did not appear to be shifting as officials went up into and past the damaged floors on their way to the 37th floor \u2014 the top floor \u2014 of the building.<\/p>\n
But from the street below, a badly bent structural column could be seen through a large glass window on the 21st floor. The fire department, which also posted images<\/a> of the column, said they found multiple cracks and sagging floors as well.<\/p>\n Asked earlier in the day if there was concern of a collapse, Fire Chief John Esposito said the way the steel-framed building is constructed, \u201cit would not be a total collapse, it would be more of a localized collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, nearby buildings and streets remained evacuated, including a school and the Israeli consulate just across the street. The building itself was empty at the time, other than for the construction workers.<\/p>\n Ramesh Yallappa, a tourist who was among those evacuated from a nearby hotel, said he initially feared it was a fire in the hotel when an immediate evacuation was ordered Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cThat moment, we were really really scared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n