Overview
- City crews found two interior columns buckled and multiple cracks and sagging between roughly the 21st and 26th floors at 235 East 42nd Street, prompting an urgent evacuation and large emergency response.
- Officials closed streets and cleared nearby buildings, including a school with about 400 children, and reported no injuries with all construction workers accounted for.
- Responders used drones, precision movement sensors and more than 100 specialized personnel to monitor the tower and install temporary steel shoring and jacks to stabilize the damaged areas.
- The Department of Buildings and FDNY are leading an active investigation to determine causes, with developers MetroLoft and architect Gensler saying the event was a construction mishap while city officials are probing whether added floors or renovation work redistributed loads.
- The incident highlights technical and permitting challenges in large office‑to‑residential conversions and may prompt closer city review of structural plans, inspections and enforcement on similar projects.