Midtown Manhattan building evacuated after structural failures detected

A former Pfizer office complex in Midtown Manhattan was evacuated on Tuesday after the Department of Buildings recorded a compromised steel beam on the 21st floor and the Fire Department reported buckling support columns and sagging upper floors. Construction workers were removed from the site, and nearby buildings at 225 and 221 East 43rd Street were cleared as a safety precaution. No injuries were reported.

"The north side of that building is crumbling," said Cliff Johnsen, business agent for the Steamfitters Local 638 Union, adding that the I-beams were bending.

Metro Loft, the developer overseeing the conversion of the 1970s office complex into residential use, said it is cooperating with the Buildings Department to assess the situation. The project plans to add 19 stories to the original 10-story tower at 219 East 42nd Street and redesign the adjacent building at 235 East 42nd Street, creating 1,602 apartments, including 400 affordable units, and more than 100,000 square feet of amenities such as a rooftop pool, fitness center, and retail space.