NEW YORK (AP) — Falling bricks and buckling columns at a Midtown Manhattan high-rise sent emergency crews scrambling Tuesday, forcing evacuations of the surrounding area around a towering office building currently being transformed into luxury apartments, fire officials confirmed.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said a nearby school housing roughly 400 children was among the buildings that had to be cleared out. No one was hurt, and every worker inside the high-rise was accounted for, the mayor said. Streets in the vicinity were shut down to both pedestrians and vehicles.
The building dates back to the 1970s and once served as the worldwide headquarters for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. It sits in a heavily trafficked part of the city, approximately one block from the historic Chrysler Building and positioned between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.
The New York Fire Department reported receiving calls about falling bricks at roughly 8 a.m. from the 38-story structure. Upon investigation, officials discovered that two columns on the 21st and 22nd floors had buckled, and that floors between the 21st and 26th floors were showing signs of sagging.
The conversion of the office building into residential units has been described as the largest project of its kind in the city’s history, according to Gensler, the architectural firm overseeing the work. The planned development would include more than 1,600 residential units and calls for adding over a dozen new floors on top of the existing tower, along with a redesign of an adjoining tower. A Gensler spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.
When asked directly whether the building was in danger of collapsing, Mayor Mamdani said first responders had identified “structural issues with the building” and urged those nearby to “follow the instructions of those on the ground.”
The city’s building department confirmed that its inspectors and engineers had been dispatched to the site at 235 East 42nd Street.
“Our top priority right now,” the mayor stated, “is the safety of those who live in this area and the safety of those who work in this area.”
