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Tuesday's key developments
• New York officials said they are “confident” the installation of temporary shoring is stabilizing an under-construction Midtown Manhattan building that was evacuated after structural columns buckled. More stabilization work will be done throughout the coming days.
• A New York City fire chief previously said there was concern about a possible “localized collapse,” but the building is constructed in such a way that a total collapse is impossible.
• Several buildings in the area remain under evacuation orders. Evacuated workers face potential weeks without office access.
• The building, located on East 42nd Street, is the former headquarters for Pfizer and is being converted into apartments.
Workers seen inside high-rise as they race to stabilize the building
Video from late Tuesday shows construction crews working to stabilize a Manhattan high-rise after structural columns buckled on the 21st floor earlier in the day, raising fears of a partial collapse.
In the video, several workers wearing neon green and orange tops and donning helmets are seen working to add support in the area where the columns failed.
Crews are working overnight to stabilize a Manhattan building. Here's the latest
New York officials said late Tuesday they are “confident” temporary shoring has helped stabilize a Midtown Manhattan high-rise that is under construction after structural columns buckled Tuesday, triggering warnings of a possible partial collapse. Multiple nearby buildings remain under evacuation orders.
Here’s what we know:
- After emergency jacks were installed to stabilize the building’s weakest points, crews began adding new steel supports, improving stability and allowing workers and materials to move safely into the structure, NYC Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said late Tuesday.
- Officials have lifted the evacuation of some buildings around the site, but four nearby buildings remain under evacuation orders, Tigani said. A fifth building is under a partial evacuation with only businesses on the ground floor impacted.
- The first signs of trouble came just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, when the New York City Fire Department received reports of a structural issue at the building, which is being converted from office space into apartments. The project, expected to be completed next year, will add 19 floors to the existing 10-story building at 219 East 42nd Street and renovate the neighboring 33-story tower at 235 East 42nd Street, according to architectural firm Gensler.
- The damage at the building is “nothing more than a typical construction mishap,” developer Nathan Berman of MetroLoft, which is the firm converting the building, told The New York Times. The buckling of support columns was likely caused by added weight, Berman told the Wall Street Journal. MetroLoft did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
- The skyscraper has been the subject of multiple complaints, including allegations of falling debris and unsafe conditions, records show. A construction worker also suffered a “grave injury” last year at the same building, according to a lawsuit. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit have denied the allegations.
- The evacuations around the skyscraper drew confusion and frustration from people working and staying in the area with evacuated hotel guests hauling suitcases out of the danger zone.
Multiple buildings remain under evacuation orders, officials say
Four buildings near the unstable Midtown Manhattan high-rise are still under evacuation orders, New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said Tuesday night.
A fifth building is under partial evacuation with the businesses on the ground floor required to stay away from the area and the residents on higher floors allowed to return, he said.
Some buildings that had been evacuated earlier are now clear for residents to return, Tigani said.
Officials "confident" temporary shoring has stabilized high-rise
New York officials said they are “confident” that installation of temporary shoring on a high-rise in Midtown Manhattan has stabilized the building after officials warned of a partial collapse Tuesday when structural columns buckled.
“We were able to visit and get to the 21st floor this evening ourselves to inspect and look at the work that’s been done, and we are feeling confident that many of the emergency shoring measures that have been put in place as a result of extensive discussions with the building owner, the contractor, their licensed professional is stabilizing the situation,” NYC Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said during a press briefing.
The commissioner added crews are installing new steel as “another emergency intervention,” saying it is “creating stability and allowing workers and materials to move into place and keep the building in a stable situation” and movement has not been seen in hours.
NYT: Project developer calls damage a "typical construction mishap"
The Midtown Manhattan building that suffered structural damage Tuesday experienced “nothing more than a typical construction mishap,” MetroLoft developer Nathan Berman told The New York Times.
“It happens unfortunately far too often on construction sites: falling cranes, people — God forbid — falling off buildings, windows falling out,” Berman, MetroLoft’s managing principal and founder, told the Times.
MetroLoft did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Berman previously told The Wall Street Journal that weight added to the top of the building was likely responsible for the damage. He also defended Tuesday’s structural issues, telling the Times, “I don’t know that a four-inch sag is a collapse.”
Despite the instability, Berman called the engineering and design of the project — which were approved by the city — “perfect,” according to the Times.
WSJ: Added weight likely caused damage to Manhattan high-rise, project developer says
Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of MetroLoft, told the Wall Street Journal he believes additional weight added during construction on the top of the building in Midtown Manhattan likely caused structural columns to buckle, prompting Tuesday’s evacuation.
MetroLoft is converting the building, formerly the Pfizer headquarters, into apartments.
“This additional load that we put on those floors caused those two particular columns to collapse,” Berman said to the WSJ. “Why those particular two columns and nothing else? We don’t know…we’re investigating that.”
MetroLoft did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Similar to what FDNY officials have said, Berman told the WSJ the damage was limited to a small portion of the building and did not threaten the integrity of the rest of the structure.
“It’s too big of a building. Ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact…There is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building,” he said.
Residents of one nearby building told it’s safe to return, city official says
Residents of 222 East 44th Street have been told that it is safe to return home, a city official briefed on the high-rise operation told CNN.
City officials are continuing to evaluate and determine if additional buildings that had been evacuated can be repopulated, the source said.
Prep work is concluding, with staging and installation of the temporary shoring to begin soon after, the official said.
The latest on the unstable Midtown Manhattan high-rise
Contractors can move forward with installation of temporary shoring on the under-construction New York City high-rise after columns buckled inside.
Here’s what else we know so far about the situation:
- A construction worker suffered a “grave injury” last year at the same building, according to a lawsuit.
- The skyscraper was the focus of multiple complaints, including allegations of falling debris and unsafe conditions.
- Workers evacuated from nearby buildings face potential weeks without office access. One said both the FDNY and his office have been unable to provide a firm timeline, with estimates ranging from a few days to two weeks.
- New Yorkers and travelers alike have described chaos after the building became unstable. A family visiting from the UK had to quickly change their plans for the final night of their vacation because of the ordeal.
Officials assess nearby buildings for possible reopenings
The New York City Department of Buildings and FDNY are conducting building-by-building assessments of the surrounding area to determine whether street closures can be adjusted and when evacuated buildings can be reoccupied, according to a city official briefed on the operation.
Streets around Midtown skyscraper filled with evacuated hotel guests and casual spectators
The streets surrounding a precarious Manhattan skyscraper and other evacuated city blocks have been the scene of chaos, curiosity and confusion as New Yorkers, disgruntled hotel guests and a steady stream of onlookers react to the disruption the unstable building has caused.
After several nearby hotels were forced to evacuate their guests today, travelers hauled suitcases out of the evacuation zone and looked for coffee shops or other places to sit and plan their next move. Some were businessmen in town for conferences, others international visitors riding the World Cup high, several were families with colorful backpacks and unbothered children in tow.
Most had no idea where they would be staying tonight after being informed by their hotels they cannot return.
For much of the day, a small crowd has formed on the corner of 42nd Street and 3rd Avenue, where viewers can catch a glimpse of the building city officials have warned may be at risk of partial collapse.
There, gawkers point their phones and tip their heads back to take a look at the nondescript skyscraper. Others stop just to see what has captured so much attention – and shut down several city blocks.
In true New York fashion, the corner chatter is interrupted by annoyed passerby commenting aloud at how ridiculous the whole spectacle is: Why is everyone standing in the way?
Manhattan fruit vendor recalls hotel evacuation after columns buckle inside high-rise
Wahhid Saleh, a fruit vendor in Midtown Manhattan, may not be worried about an unstable building potentially collapsing, but he is concerned about not having customers today.
“Business is not as good as supposed to be,” he told CNN.
“This is New York City, we experience something excited (sic) every day, and we gotta try to make the best of it,” he said.
But earlier today, he spotted panicked travelers evacuating a nearby hotel.
“It was a disaster the way they were running outside the hotel,” he recalled. “People are scared.”
Saleh, who has had his fruit stand for 38 years, said there was just as much excitement for a manhole that exploded a couple of years ago.
Man on vacation with family scrambles to find new hotel after evacuation
Some travelers were frustrated by the lack of alternative accommodations after being evacuated from hotels near an unstable building in Midtown Manhattan earlier today.
One man, who lives in Los Angeles and declined to give his name, said he received an email from the hotel he and his family were staying at saying they weren’t allowed back on the property until further notice. The hotel management didn’t give suggestions for other places to stay or information about a refund, he told CNN.
“They just said that it was out of their control and the street is under full evacuation,” he said, adding his family had already left the hotel for plans in the city earlier that morning.
In another email this afternoon, the hotel told him they weren’t going to be able to stay at the hotel tonight and gave instructions for retrieving their belongings, the man said.
Now, having to find a new hotel with his three kids, “it’s going to be expensive,” he said.
UK family describes having to evacuate hotel across street from unstable building
Atish Parmar and his family had to quickly change their plans for the final night of their vacation in New York today because of the unstable building.
Parmar and his two young children, visiting from the United Kingdom, were staying at the Westin New York Grand Central on 42nd Street, nearly across the street from the affected building, he told CNN.
This morning, Parmar and his kids rode bikes in Central Park and explored the city, but when they came back, they found out they were getting evacuated from the hotel.
They’ve booked a room at another hotel, which will cost an extra $200.
The were allowed back into their rooms to grab their suitcases, Parmar said, and the Westin is giving them a refund.
“We’re going to Washington tomorrow, so thankfully we’ll leave this scene behind and enjoy our holiday,” he said.
Construction worker suffered ‘grave injury’ last year at same high-rise, lawsuit says
The owner and developer of a midtown Manhattan building that was evacuated Tuesday for reports of structural buckling are being sued by a construction worker who suffered a “grave injury” at the site last year, according to court records.
On September 30, 2025, Wilmer Cabrera Rojas was working at the 42nd Street building when he fell after wood he was standing on “gave way,” causing him “serious and permanent injures,” according to a civil suit filed in New York State court.
Rojas filed the suit in November, which is still active.
The suit was brought against Metro Loft, the building’s developer, and 235 Fee Owner LLC, the site owner, among multiple defendants, including limited liability companies. 235 Fee Owner was also the subject of an anonymous complaint that the New York City Department of Buildings investigated, accusing the company of performing construction contrary to previously approved plans.
Attorneys for the buildings defendants have denied the allegations in court filings and any liability for the accident, and have filed a third-party complaint against the construction company that employed Rojas.
An attorney representing the construction company has also denied the defendants’ allegations and could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Lawyers for the defendants filed a motion to dismiss Roja’s case on Monday, citing the plaintiff’s failure to comply with discovery demands.
Correction: An earlier version of this story inaccurately characterized the New York City Department of Buildings’ involvement with a complaint. The department investigated the complaint.
Contractors can move forward with installation of temporary shoring on NYC building, city official says
On-site contractors can move forward with the installation of temporary shoring to stabilize the high-rise under construction in Midtown Manhattan, a city official briefed on the operation told CNN.
Regular monitoring of the damaged section of the building is ongoing, and there has been no additional movement of the damaged columns, the official said.
The emergency shoring is a measure to stabilize the building, and additional stabilization work will be done throughout Tuesday evening and coming days.
Evacuated workers face potential weeks without office access
Jason Polanco, managing director at Manhattan Realty Group, arrived at the office with his team this morning before they were told to evacuate because of the nearby unstable high-rise building.
Polanco and his colleagues left behind nearly everything in the building, expecting the evacuation to be brief. Instead, they spent most of the day trying to regain access to retrieve laptops, paperwork and other essentials.
It’s still unclear when they’ll be allowed back inside. Polanco said both the FDNY and his office have been unable to provide a firm timeline, with estimates ranging from a few days to two weeks.
He said his team will likely work from a nearby coffee shop until they can return to the building. But he said businesses that rely on seeing customers in person — including a dentist’s office, a doctor’s office and a massage business — are likely to be hit the hardest.
An FDNY member told Polanco the building’s structural damage was the “most extreme case he’s ever seen,” he shared with CNN.
Troubled building conversion shines light on pressures facing NYC construction industry
New York City is in the throes of a residential housing boom, adding more housing units in new buildings in Manhattan than at any time since 1965, New York City Planning Department data shows.
However, the surge in development comes at a time when the construction industry in and outside of New York is facing mounting pressures.
Years of high inflation have raised costs and contributed to elevated interest rates, making financing more expensive; last year’s wave of tariffs increased the costs of critical materials such as steel; and an aging workforce combined with policy shifts toward reduced immigration have crimped the labor supply.
The New York Building Congress, a construction trade organization, has recommended expanding workforce development programs and creating a national “critical infrastructure” H-1B designation for US-educated and US-trained international workers as a way to help combat the worker shortage.
Construction-related employment in the New York City metro area still hasn’t bounced back from its pre-pandemic levels, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. In May, there were an estimated 386,200 workers in the mining, logging and construction industry. That’s below the post-pandemic peak of 400,900 in July 2023.
Floor-by-floor inspection team has not detected movement in hours, city official says
A team of six people that entered the Midtown Manhattan building where columns started to buckle Tuesday is evaluating it floor-by-floor and has not reported further movement, said Leila Bozorg, deputy mayor for the city’s housing and planning.
The lack of movement is a “very good sign,” Bozorg said.
The team was able to enter the building and take the elevator to the 17th floor, from where they continued to inspect the floors above, Bozorg said.
They spotted two structural columns on the 21st floor that bent, Bozorg said, and some of the floors are sagging.
Engineers from the city’s department of buildings, contractors and firefighters are still assessing the structure and will finalize plans to reinforce the building while ensuring it doesn’t collapse, Bozorg told CNN Tuesday afternoon.
There will be an “exhaustive investigation” to find out what happened, she added.
Building received multiple complaints alleging falling debris, unsafe conditions
Before 235 East 42nd Street was evacuated Tuesday after reports of structural buckling, multiple complaints were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings alleging falling objects and unsafe conditions. It’s unclear who filed the complaints.
“Want to report unsafe building demolition. Debris is falling from high heights,” an April complaint stated. Inspectors did not observe falling debris when they went to the building a day after the complaint was filed and found no violation was warranted, according to department records.
“Today a large item fell and broke through 5 floors and almost hit someone. There are gas machines without proper ventilation,” an October complaint stated. “Piece (sic) of concrete are constantly falling from above.” Like the October complaint, inspectors did not observe these conditions and did not find a violation was warranted.
Two other complaints from the past year mention falling objects with the same outcome from inspections.
The owner of the building did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
