Buildings Evacuated Near Former Pfizer Headquarters After Structural Columns Buckle

Buildings Evacuated Near Former Pfizer Headquarters After Structural Columns Buckle
News| July 7, 2026| Paul Bubny
New York & Tri-State + Apartment Buildings

A residential conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters in Midtown Manhattan remained unstable as of Tuesday afternoon after structural columns on the 21st floor buckled. There have been no reported injuries, construction site workers have all been accounted for, and occupants of nine nearby buildings have been evacuated, according to published reports.

“The building remains unstable,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference. “Since arriving on scene, we’ve witnessed additional movement in one of the compromised columns.” He said the Department of Buildings was investigating the building’s structural integrity via drones.

In a statement, Metro Loft Management, which is co-developing the conversion at 235 E. 42nd St. with David Werner, said the building is not at risk of collapsing. However, CNN reported that Fire Department of New York Chief of Department John Esposito said a “localized collapse” remained a possibility.

“The way this building is constructed, it’s a steel frame building, so it would not be a total collapse; it would be more of a localized collapse,” Esposito said at a news conference Tuesday. “But that remains our concern: that it’s moving.”

The developers thanked FDNY, the New York Police Department and DOB for their quick response.“The safety of everyone at and surrounding the building is our number one priority,” according to the statement. “We’re thankful there were no injuries, and as the DOB clarified, no debris fell from the building. We want to confirm that the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings on this site. As the FDNY spokesperson noted, the entire building itself is not at risk of collapse.”

Connect CRE will update the story as more information becomes available.

Other News

JLL Arranges Financing for Lightstone Acquisition on Upper West Side

New York & Tri-State + Apartment Buildings

JLL Capital Markets arranged acquisition financing for Lightstone’s purchase of 323 W. 96th St., a 174-unit multifamily property on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Senior managing director Peter Rotchford and managing director Michael Shmuely worked on behalf of Lightstone to secure the financing from MF1, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Residential Investments. Lightstone is acquiring...

Learn more

National City Investment Group Commences Workforce Housing Build

California & West + Apartment Buildings

The National City Investment Group, a locally owned, privately held real estate investment company, recently broke ground on Market View, a 120-unit multifamily residential community located at 303 Highland Ave. in National City. The development will transform an underutilized parking lot adjacent to Manolo Farmers Market, which has served National City for more than 33...

Learn more

Levin Johnston Closes Apartment Sale in One of San Jose’s Strongest Submarkets

California & West + Apartment Buildings

 Levin Johnston of Marcus & Millichap recently completed the sale of First Street Manor, a 39-unit apartment community in San Jose. Executive managing directors Adam Levin and Robert Johnston, along with senior director, investments Cole Simpson, represented the seller and procured the buyer in the $9.112-million transaction. The Levin Johnston team demonstrated the asset’s upside...

Learn more
New call-to-action

Brokers

View All

Lenders

View All

Management

View All
Login
or
Sign up