Mandani warns of danger, New York City buildings at risk of collapse
A midtown Manhattan building near Grand Central Terminal is at risk of collapse as authorities report buckling columns and increased instability.
Two pillars of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper under construction have snapped, raising concerns that it may partially collapse, and emergency measures are being taken to stabilize it, officials said.
Early on July 7, the New York City Fire Department responded to reports of bricks falling from a 37-story building currently under construction on East 42nd Street between Second and Third Avenues, a busy area of Manhattan. Officials found two columns buckled on the 21st and 22nd floors, and the floor sagged between the 21st and 26th floors.
FDNY Commissioner John Esposito warned at a news conference that while it was unlikely the building would collapse completely, there was a risk of a partial collapse.
New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani told reporters late on July 7 that jacks were being installed to stabilize weak points, and new steel was being installed to create additional stability. He said authorities monitored the building inside and outside for hours but saw no movement.
“At this point, we can say that the building is stable. It has not moved since we began monitoring it earlier today,” Tigani said. “And we are confident in our current emergency plans.”
Some evacuation orders and road closures in “frozen zones” are lifted
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said at a press conference on the afternoon of July 7 that the city had established a “freeze zone” from 40th to 45th Streets between First and Third Avenues, temporarily closing the area to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
According to the mayor, a nearby high-rise building and a school attended by about 400 children were evacuated. Consular officials said in a statement that the Israeli consulate general had also been evacuated.
By late July 7, the frozen area had “shrinked considerably,” Tigani said.
Five buildings were still under evacuation orders, but residents of other buildings who were previously evacuated were allowed to return, Tigani said. He said 42nd and 43rd Streets between Second and Third Avenues remain closed to vehicles, but all other traffic and pedestrian restrictions have been lifted.
What causes columns to bend?
Tigani declined to comment on what caused the column to buckle, saying the investigation would continue once efforts to stabilize the building were completed.
Nathan Berman, founder of Metroloft, the building’s developer, told the Wall Street Journal that he believes the added weight of the top 15-story expansion likely caused the columns to buckle.
“Why those particular two columns and nothing else? We don’t know,” he told the Journal. “We are looking into it.”
What buildings are at risk of collapsing?
According to the New York Times and Reuters, construction on the building began in 1959. In 1961, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer moved its headquarters to this location and expanded its offices.
The building is being converted into a 1,600-unit apartment complex, scheduled for completion in 2027, according to architecture firm Gensler’s website.
It is located just east of major transportation hubs, Grand Central Terminal and the iconic Chrysler Building, both on 42nd Street. This is also the main street west of the United Nations Headquarters.
Contributed by: Eduardo Cuevas, Michael Loria, Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Amethyst Martinez, Levittown
