In 2019, Domani was accused of failing to perform inspection duties after a six-foot section of concrete wall broke loose from the 25th floor of an Upper East Side building project it was hired to monitor. The concrete crashed through the roof of a neighboring six-story building and into an occupied apartment, causing significant damage. It was not clear whether anyone was injured. The inspection firm was fined<\/a> $12,500 in that incident, records show.<\/p>\n A spokeswoman for Domani said the firm was involved in litigation related to that incident and could not comment on it for that reason.<\/p>\n At least some private inspections by Domani appear to have been conducted by John McMonagle, whom city officials identified as \u201cthe director\u201d of the inspection agency.<\/p>\n He was fined $12,500 by city officials for making a false statement<\/a> during the inspection of another Manhattan property, in 2022. Records show that the fine was never paid, but a spokeswoman for Domani, commenting on behalf of Mr. McMonagle, said the firm has no record of the violation.<\/p>\n Later that year, the city accused him of failing to perform his duties<\/a> at a landmark building in Lower Manhattan that was found to be so unstable it eventually had to be demolished<\/a>. That case was dismissed.<\/p>\n Mr. McMonagle was listed as having performed numerous inspections at the Midtown building project that was evacuated on Tuesday on East 42nd Street.<\/p>\n Although Domani has had a number of brushes with the Buildings Department over the years, there was no indication in city records that it had been singled out for violations more frequently than other inspection agencies.<\/p>\n In a statement issued by the Domani spokeswoman, Mr. McMonagle said the firm was still reviewing records related to the office conversion on East 42nd Street and added that it would be \u201cinappropriate to speculate\u201d on the cause of the incident or whether \u201cany inspection issue contributed to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDomani has performed tens of thousands of special inspections throughout New York City over many years, and we take our professional and regulatory responsibilities extremely seriously,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Such inspection firms are not the only ones on a work site responsible for safety. Contractors, developers and engineers also play roles. The Buildings Department hovers over it all, sending inspectors on occasional spot checks to make sure building codes and safety regulations are being followed and to ensure all work matches approved construction plans.<\/p>\n But those reviews, known as development or enforcement inspections, occur less frequently than special inspections. They can include serious findings, like dangerous work conditions, or administrative issues like paperwork mishaps.<\/p>\n Before the conversion project ran into trouble on Tuesday, city inspectors had flagged at least 22 administrative violations at the site.<\/p>\n On fewer occasions, they found serious safety concerns.<\/p>\n The property owners were required to pay the city more than $32,500 in safety violation penalties in 2025<\/a>. The Buildings Department issued a stop work order<\/a> in August of that year after a large metal panel fell from the 33rd floor onto the sidewalk outside.<\/p>\n The Buildings Department conducted four enforcement inspections from March to May of this year, said Andrew Rudansky, a spokesman for the department, and found no unsafe or illegal conditions.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Mr. Rudansky said the Buildings Department is still investigating the cause of the buckling of the columns.<\/p>\n MetroLoft said that it is working with the Buildings Department to fix the problems. The company said the tower was never at risk of collapse and the issues affected only a small area of the project.<\/p>\n Still, the incident at the East 42nd Street building raises questions about the city\u2019s inspection process, including its reliance on special inspection agencies, like Domani, to monitor and ensure the safety and soundness of construction.<\/p>\n \u201cWas work being performed in accordance with approved plans, permits and any post-approval amendments?\u201d said Pierina Sanchez, a member of the City Council who chairs the Committee on Housing and Buildings. \u201cWere the engineer of record, special inspection agency, construction superintendent, site safety manager and other required professionals fulfilling their responsibilities?\u201d<\/p>\n Jamison D. Morse, principal at PVEDI, an engineering and architecture firm that also acts as a special inspector, said the system works well because it lightens the load for the city.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for cities or municipalities to staff people with this kind of expertise, and also then to keep up with the volume of projects,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you talk about the number of special inspectors, and the number of projects in construction right now in New York City requiring this, there\u2019s just not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n City building codes have required special inspections of major projects since 1968, and the rules were strengthened in 2008<\/a> to prevent unqualified inspectors from signing off on crucial safety reviews. Today, there are more than 2,000 special inspectors registered<\/a> in New York City.<\/p>\n After an incident at a Queens construction site Domani was supposed to be inspecting in February 2017, the city asked the firm to come to the site the next day. The city accused<\/a> Domani of failing to cooperate with the Building Department\u2019s follow-up inquiries. That citation was dismissed.<\/p>\n During excavation work at a Brooklyn construction site in 2018, adjacent bracing \u2014 temporary supports that can affect the stability of the building and neighboring properties \u2014 was removed improperly, the Buildings Department said. Domani had been hired as the project\u2019s special inspector, but the city cited<\/a> the firm for failing to perform the structural safety inspections required for that work, according to city records.<\/p>\n City inspectors said that the site had become hazardous and the Buildings Department was never notified, though the case was later dismissed.<\/p>\n And after the incident involving falling concrete in 2019, city inspectors found that the walls of the Upper East Side tower Domani was hired to inspect were thinner than required by the construction documents \u2014 a compliance violation the special inspectors never flagged in their reports.<\/p>\n Steve Bongiorno, a structural engineer who has worked on high-rise projects in New York, said relying on such private inspectors like Domani can work well, but the entire program must be better monitored.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city really needs to put the brakes on here and re-evaluate their process for assuring quality control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The joint project on East 42nd Street, the former headquarters of the drug company Pfizer, is intended to be the largest transformation of office space to housing in New York City. It began construction in 2024 to convert the office space into a massive 1,602-unit apartment complex with a rooftop pool, shops and a fitness center, and had been expected to be finished early next year.<\/p>\n But transforming cubicle farms into apartments is often challenging because of various codes and structural challenges, and this one was particularly complicated.<\/p>\n For now, city officials say the building is stable, and workers are undergoing the process of shoring it up. Temporary supports had been added to the building where four new floors and a large vertical portion had been added onto the existing building in recent months.<\/p>\n Gary LaBarbera, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, which represents unionized workers, said he was concerned about Domani\u2019s role as an inspector on this project, given its history of violations.<\/p>\n And he also pointed to the flawed nature of special inspectors who are paid for by property owners.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t inspect yourself, and that is essentially what is going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Claire Fahy, Caitlyn Freeman and Ashley Southall contributed reporting. Alain Delaqu\u00e9ri\u00e8re contributed research.<\/p>\n
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