Crews allowed to enter and begin stabilizing high-rise NYC building
Reporting from the heart of New York City, CB Cotton brings us updates on a precarious situation at a Manhattan high-rise where construction setbacks have caused support columns to give way, causing floors to droop. This alarming development has prompted emergency crews to swiftly evacuate the building and its surroundings. Drone footage from FDNY reveals extensive internal damage. The building’s owners face multiple unresolved violations, with a notable incident last August when a metal panel fell, sparking criticism from a union official over lax safety enforcement.
Earlier fears of collapse in a 37-story Manhattan high-rise led to extensive evacuations in one of New York City’s bustling areas, but the situation was contained by late Tuesday. This stabilization allowed authorities to relax some of the evacuation mandates.
Authorities stated that residents were permitted to return to several of the initially evacuated buildings post-inspection, which confirmed there was no further instability in the compromised structure.
“Our continuous surveillance of the building shows no trace of movement,” reported Ahmed Tigani, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, during an evening briefing on Tuesday.
The ordeal unfolded Tuesday morning when workers noticed the instability of structural columns inside the old Pfizer headquarters. The 1970s office tower is undergoing renovation to become over 1,600 opulent residential units.
The unstable building at 235 East 42nd Street on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Firefighters responded around 8 a.m., prompting the evacuation of nearby buildings, including a school, diplomatic offices and hotels in the bustling Midtown corridor near Grand Central Terminal.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the situation “extremely serious” as engineers conducted floor-by-floor inspections of the building.
By Tuesday evening, contractors had begun shoring up the damaged area after city officials determined the damaged columns were no longer shifting, though repair work is expected to continue and could disrupt the surrounding area.
An NYPD officer puts up caution tape near East 41st Street after buildings in the area were evacuated, Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Fire Chief John Esposito said officials were concerned about the possibility of a localized structural failure rather than the entire steel-framed building collapsing. A visibly bent column on the 21st floor, along with cracks and sagging floors, prompted the extensive precautionary response.
Nathan Berman, founder of developer MetroLoft, told The Wall Street Journal that additional weight from the project’s upper-floor expansion likely contributed to the damage, though he insisted the building itself remains structurally sound.
“Ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact,” Berman told the newspaper. “There is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building.”
Berman added that investigators are still trying to determine why the two columns buckled.