FDNY Warns Of 'Localized Collapse' Risk At Conversion Of Former Pfizer HQ
Several Midtown Manhattan office buildings were evacuated Tuesday morning following reports of a compromised steel beam at the site of New York City’s largest office-to-residential conversion.
The New York City Fire Department received a report of bricks falling from the 48-story tower at 235 E. 42nd St., the former Pfizer headquarters. Officials responded to the call just before 8 a.m., during the morning rush hour.
Two support columns inside the building were buckling and several upper floors were sagging, The New York Times reported. A Department of Buildings spokesperson said the compromised steel beam was on the 21st floor, and floors between the 21st and 26th were sagging.
During a press conference shortly after noon, officials said that monitors inside the building continued to detect shifts in the structure.
In the early evening, a DOB spokesperson said that inspectors sent into the building had completed their assessment and found no additional movement. As a result, the building's contractors have been allowed to install temporary shoring to stabilize the building.
“The way this building is constructed — it’s a steel-framed building — so it would not be a total collapse. It would be more of a localized collapse,” FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said at the press conference. “But that remains our concern.”
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… pic.twitter.com/NavUpNGAJE
— FDNY (@FDNY) July 7, 2026
Officials said they don’t yet know the cause of the structural deficiency. The complex consists of two buildings, the largest of which was 37 stories before an 11-story addition had topped out as part of the redevelopment.
“I want to be honest with New Yorkers that this is a fast-developing situation,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during the press conference. “We are taking it minute by minute.”
The mayor called the building “unstable” and described the situation as “extremely serious.” Roads in the area were still closed Tuesday evening.
Construction workers, along with people in nine adjacent buildings, were evacuated as a precaution, according to an FDNY spokesperson. A 10-block radius around the building has been closed as officials investigate the building. There were no injuries reported.
The office campus is being converted into approximately 1,600 rental units by David Werner and Nathan Berman's Metro Loft Management. The undertaking has been funded by a $720M loan.
The DOB identified a Metro Loft affiliate as the project's general contractor. Gensler is the architect of the conversion project. The project had been hit with multiple DOB violations over the past year, including for several worker injuries and reports of debris falling, The City Reporter reported.
“We are working closely with the Department of Buildings to understand the full scope of the situation,” a spokesperson for Metro Loft said in a statement. “The safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority.”
In an updated statement late Tuesday afternoon, the spokesperson thanked the FDNY and DOB for their quick response and downplayed broader structural risks.
“We're thankful there were no injuries, and as the DOB clarified, no debris fell from the building,” the spokesperson said. “We want to confirm that the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings on this site. As the FDNY spokesperson noted, the entire building itself is not at risk of collapse.”
Representatives for Werner and Gensler didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Construction was expected to be completed next year, though it is unclear how Tuesday’s incident may impact that timeline.
Ciara Long contributed to this story.
UPDATE, JULY 7, 6 P.M. ET: This story has been updated to include the latest situational update from DOB and more information about the building's safety record.
