Midtown Tower Stabilized After Structural Scare, Some Evacuation Orders Lifted

MIDTOWN, NY — A portion of Midtown is slowly reopening Wednesday morning after an unstable tower high above the streets forced evacuations and a massive emergency response, officials said.

The incident was first reported at 7:57 a.m. Tuesday at 235 E. 42nd St., between Second and Third avenues, where firefighters responded to reports of bricks falling from the 38-story building under construction.

After arriving, crews found two structural columns had buckled on the building's 21st and 22nd floors, while floors between the 21st and 26th stories were sagging, the FDNY said. No injuries were reported.

As of Wednesday morning, the building is now considered stable after successful emergency work to shore up the buckling beams. No new movement has been detected, Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said late Tuesday night.

"Right now we have been in a consistent, stable, and safe situation," Tigani said.

The building remains under continuous monitoring, and emergency repairs are expanding to install new structural steel to further stabilize the weakened floors.

The building was once the headquarters of Pfizer, and was undergoing a conversion from offices to housing.

Several buildings evacuated earlier in the day have now been cleared for residents to return. However, some are still under evacuation.

Buildings Still Under Evacuation

The following remain under emergency evacuation orders:

• 815 Second Ave.
• 235 E. 43rd St.
• 231 E. 43rd St.
• 225 E. 43rd St.
• 217 E. 43rd St. (ground-floor restaurant only; residential tenants have been allowed back in).

Street Closures Eased

• Second Avenue and Third Avenue have reopened to traffic.
• Access remains restricted on East 42nd and East 43rd streets between Second and Third avenues.

This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.

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