(NEW YORK) — Several Midtown Manhattan buildings were evacuated Tuesday morning after construction workers discovered the structure of a massive office building being converted into residential housing was compromised on the 21st floor, officials said.
New York City Fire Department and Department of Buildings crews went to 235 East 42nd Street, which is one block west of the United Nations headquarters, around 8:11 a.m. after workers “observed structural support beams beginning to buckle,” the NYPD said.
That caused the 21st through 26th floors of the building to start caving under the stress, officials said.
ABC News obtained video from inside the compromised building that damage.
The 37-story commercial building, formerly the Pfizer headquarters, is currently undergoing renovations to convert it into a residential building, according to the DOB. It is one of the largest office-to-apartment conversion projects in city history, officials said.
There were no reported injuries and all construction workers were safely evacuated, according to police.
Metro Loft, the developer of the conversion project, said in a statement that it is working with the Department of Buildings as it investigates the situation.
“The safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority,” the developer said.
Other buildings near 235 East 42nd Street were also evacuated, including a nearby Hampton Inn, according to officials.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at an unrelated news conference Tuesday morning that among the evacuated locations was a school with 400 students.
As of 11:15, the FDNY said nine buildings were evacuated.
“Our top priority right now is the safety of those who live in this area and those who work in this area. And DOB inspectors and engineers are on site working quickly to secure the site as well as that surrounding area,” he said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement that said she is in contact with city officials and state building inspectors are also on the scene.
Several nearby streets were closed off as a precaution while building inspectors and FDNY personnel inspected the building.
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