Manhattan high-rise conversion halted after columns buckle

Two steel columns on the 21st‑22nd floor of the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street buckled during its conversion into apartments, prompting an evacuation, road closures and the installation of temporary steel supports. The incident stopped work on one of the nation’s largest office‑to‑residential projects, which aims to add about 18,000 sq ft across 15 new floors and create roughly 1,600 units.

New York City’s Department of Investigation has opened a probe, hiring a third‑party engineer to conduct a forensic review of construction documents and conduct witness interviews. MetroLoft founder Nathan Berman said the added load “likely caused the damage,” while a Steamfitters union steward reported seeing cracks before the columns began to bend. The event highlights the engineering challenges and safety concerns of adaptive‑reuse projects in dense urban areas.