NYC Watchdog Opens Inquiry Into 2 Buckled Columns at Manhattan Tower as Floors Sagged 4 Inches
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 10
NYC Watchdog Opens Inquiry Into 2 Buckled Columns at Manhattan Tower as Floors Sagged 4 Inches
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 10
Summary
The New York City Department of Investigation opened an inquiry after two columns buckled at the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street, triggering worker evacuations, nearby building clearances and road closures.
MetroLoft said the failure came as 18,000 square feet was being added to 15 upper floors, overloading supports that were not properly reinforced and causing some floors to sag by as much as 4 inches.
Workers spotted cracks on the 22nd floor before finding bending columns below, and emergency crews later stabilized the tower with jacks and new steel supports after officials had declared it unstable and set a collapse zone.
The probe will review construction records, witness accounts and site images, while the Buildings Department has already ordered a third-party forensic evaluation; prosecutors were also reported to have opened a preliminary criminal inquiry.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said office-to-residential conversions remain key to easing New York's housing shortage, but called the Midtown failure a breakdown in process rather than an inherent risk of such projects.