Emergency crews in Midtown Manhattan have made significant progress in stabilizing an unstable 37-story building under construction that prompted widespread evacuations and street closures on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The Department of Buildings reported late Tuesday night that conditions at 235 E. 42nd St. had improved following emergency interventions.
According to DOB Commissioner Ahmed Tigani, emergency struts and jacks have been successfully positioned to support and stabilize the weak points of the structure. "We are not only at the place where emergency struts or jacks are in place to hold up and stabilize where the weak points are, but they are also installing new steel as another emergency intervention," Tigani stated.
He added that as officials spend more time analyzing the space to understand the root cause, they will work with the contractor and their licensed professional to determine a long-term solution.
The incident began just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday when the FDNY received reports of structural issues at the active construction site located between Second and Third avenues. More than 100 fire and EMS personnel rushed to the scene following reports of bricks falling from the high-rise. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered buckling and sagging floor conditions, while DOB officials noted structural damage inside, though they did not observe falling debris at that time.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that no injuries were reported and all construction workers were safely accounted for. However, Mamdani noted earlier in the afternoon that there had been "additional movement in one of the compromised columns." Inside footage revealed that two structural columns on the 21st floor had buckled, causing floors to sag between the 21st and 26th floors.
After the building showed no further movement for several hours, emergency crews re-entered to conduct floor-by-floor inspections, and structural engineers began deploying emergency trusses to shore up the structure.
FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito described the emergency as a very serious situation. "It's a very serious situation because the box beams, the steel beams, have started to bend and deflect from the weight," Esposito said, noting that drone footage was utilized to inspect the damage.
"We evacuated the building and started evacuations of surrounding buildings. The building has continued to move since we have been on the scene." Despite the movement, Esposito indicated that the building's specific construction style would likely prevent a total collapse.
The project, which involves converting the former Pfizer headquarters into 1,600 luxury rental apartments, is billed as the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York City history. Each office-to-resident conversion presents its own challenges. The one underway at 325 E. 42nd St., underwent an extensive two-year review by the city.
The development consists of two connected buildings, with developers adding 16 new floors to the 37-story structure at 235 E. 42nd St. Cliff Johnsen, a spokesperson for the Steamfitters Union, strongly criticized the project's developer, claiming that insufficient steel was added to support the new floors.
"They were up working on the floor, and somebody saw that the concrete was coming down, the beams started bending, the windows started buzzing," Johnsen said. He alleged that the developer "chose profit over safety" and argued that the issue could have been avoided by employing union ironworkers, adding, "The north side of that building is crumbling, the high beams are bending like cigarettes in there, which is super dangerous."
In response, developer Metro Loft issued a statement thanking the FDNY, NYPD, and DOB for their swift response. "The safety of everyone at and surrounding the building is our number one priority. We're thankful there were no injuries, and as the DOB clarified, no debris fell from the building," the developer stated. Metro Loft confirmed that the structural issue is confined to a small section of one of the two buildings on the site, reiterating that the entire building is not at risk of collapse.
This is not the first safety incident reported at the active construction site. Over the past year, the contractor, 235 GC LLC, has racked up seven violations and tens of thousands of dollars in fines. In July 2025, the city issued a $5,000 fine after a piece of window glass fell from the eighth floor onto a sidewalk shed. A month later, in August 2025, a metal panel fell from the 33rd floor to the sidewalk, resulting in a $10,000 penalty and a temporary stop-work order for the entire site.
Legal and logistical fallout from the structural failure is expected to be extensive. Construction accident attorney Chris Gorayeb noted that a thorough investigation will determine whether the failure stemmed from design flaws, construction errors, or other factors. Now investigators will have to determine whether the failure was in the design, the construction, or somewhere in between.
"There's going to be extensive litigation to determine exactly who dropped the ball and who was ultimately responsible for what is going to a very expensive fix," Gorayeb said. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that her team remains in close contact with city officials and stands ready to provide any necessary assistance.
While many of the evacuated businesses and nearby buildings were cleared for repopulation late Tuesday night, some adjacent properties remained under emergency evacuation orders as of 10 p.m. Vehicular traffic remains restricted on 42nd and 43rd streets between Second and Third avenues, though pedestrian and other traffic restrictions were lifted. Former New York City traffic commissioner "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz warned that the closures would likely disrupt the morning rush hour.
Schwartz advised drivers to avoid the East Side of Midtown entirely, suggesting alternate routes such as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, or the West Side Highway. Experts say drivers should consider the impacted area of Midtown similar to the United Nations General Assembly and avoid it.
Allen Devlin contributed to this report.
Updated on: July 7, 2026 / 11:04 PM EDT / CBS New York
Otherwise, all traffic and pedestrian restrictions have been lifted as of 10 p.m.
