Overview
- Workers discovered two buckled steel columns and sagging floors on Tuesday at the former Pfizer building at 235 East 42nd Street, triggering an immediate evacuation and a multi-block safety zone.
- Crews installed emergency shoring from the ninth floor to the roof and have since replaced light supports with thicker steel columns while engineers monitor and reinforce multiple floors.
- The New York City Department of Buildings ordered an independent third-party forensic review and the Department of Investigation opened an inquiry to examine construction documents, interviews and site evidence.
- Reporting and court records show a history of worker injuries, some apparently not reported to the DOB, plus prior violations and union complaints about non-union crews and safety practices at the site.
- The developer says it will rebuild the damaged section but lenders and insurers are reassessing risk on complex office-to-residential conversions, which could raise insurance costs and slow similar projects.