Terrified workers fled a soaring new Manhattan skyscraper after experiencing a huge ‘shake’ run through the building, that made it feel as if its floors were collapsing.
One Vanderbilt, a $3.31 billion tower which sits just north of Grand Central train terminal in Midtown Manhattan, was struck by the tremor on Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesman for One Vanderbilt said the shaking was due to repair work on the elevators, and there were no injuries as the public viewing platform was closed.
‘Earlier today an exterior elevator at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt malfunctioned while mechanics were performing maintenance on it, causing a vibration to be felt in the building,’ the spokesman told DailyMail.com.
‘SUMMIT was closed to the public at the time, no one was injured and there is no danger to the building or its occupants.’
A tweeter called Colin Ho who says he works inside said the shake was felt on at least three floors of the 93-story tower, which opened in September 2020.
Colin wrote: ‘@one_vanderbilt huge ‘shake’ just ran through the building. felt on the 14th, 51st, and 60th floors. what was it??? felt like a huge sine (sic) wave running through the building. anyone else feel it.’
Workers are filmed exiting the One Vanderbilt skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday after its interior reportedly shook, leaving at least one person fearful the tower was collapsing
One office worker called Bridgette Devine says the incident made her fear the 93-story building was crumbling beneath her feet
Manhattan’s One Vanderbilt skyscraper is said to have shaken on Tuesday afternoon, prompting multiple workers to leave the building
Pictured: One Vanderbilt tower and its location within Manhattan
Tweeter Colin Ho was among those who claimed they’d felt the building shake, and voluntarily evacuated as a result
‘i and my team evacuated. strange i haven’t seen any other tweets or news on it yet. i’m never the first on these things!’
Another tweeter called Bridgette Devine shared an even scarier version of events.
She tweeted: ‘Working at #onevanderbilt today and it felt like the floor dropped 5 feet and continued to bounce. Evacuated to Madison Avenue and mutiple (sic) floors are reporting this. 13, 33, and 60. So far they say they are investigating and there is ‘no cause for concern’. It is very scary.’
Those who chose to leave are said to have congregated in nearby Bryant Park, although there was no compulsory evacuation of the tower.
Others replied to apparently confirm Colin’s version of events. A tweeter called Hidden Aegis said: ‘Was on a video conference with some colleagues. They felt the floor shake and are now evacuating.’
And a third tweeter called Pana said they had been texted by a friend about the same thing.
There have not been any reports of injuries or damage, and it’s unclear what may have caused the shake.
One Vanderbilt is billed as one of Manhattan’s glitziest new skyscrapers, and features a three-floor summit observation deck spread across its upper floors.
Its clients include multiple blue-chip banking, law and tech firms.
New Yorkers have been understandability jittery about unexplained incidents in tall buildings since the 9/11 attacks, when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by two Boeing 767s piloted by Islamist terrorists.
The attraction at the top of the tower, called Summit One Vanderbilt, includes an outdoor terrace more than 1,200 feet in the air, accessible by transparent elevators that take visitors up the side of the building.
Each elevator, known as ‘Ascent’, is 90 square feet.
They are the largest glass-floor elevators in the world, shooting up 1,000 feet in just 42 seconds.
Those brave enough to visit will get incredible views of Manhattan and its surrounding areas, including New Jersey and Brooklyn.
Each lift, known as ‘Ascent’, is 90 square feet, making them the largest glass floor elevators in the world. They shoot up 1,000 feet in just 42 seconds
People visit Summit One Vanderbilt during a preview viewing in Manhattan in September 2021
Views of Midtown streets below as people visit Summit at One Vanderbilt
The attraction includes an outdoor terrace (pictured), accessible by transparent elevators that take visitors up the side of the building
Pictured: A woman steps out over the city with Levitation: two glass ledges suspended 1,063 feet above Madison Avenue offering heart-racing views of New York City
Artist Kenzo Digital has taken the 1,000-foot high canvas of Summit and created a mind-bending art experience called ‘Air’
The development at One Vanderbilt features an incredible bird’s-eye view of New York City.
Although not the tallest building in New York City, One Vanderbilt will overtake the 1,396-foot-high tower at 432 Park Avenue as the tallest building in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, but it’s still nearly 400 feet shorter than NYC’s tallest building One World Trade Center, which rises 1,776 feet.
For those with strong stomachs, there are also 1,063-foot-high, glass-bottomed booths overlooking Madison Avenue, called ‘Levitation.’
The exhibit, which opened in October 2021, includes an outdoor terrace bar.
It has the ‘highest urban outdoor alpine meadow in the world,’ the company said in a statement.
Marc Holliday, chairman and CEO of the project’s developer SL Green, said it provides people with ‘the best, amplified views in all of New York City. ‘
