Buckling former Pfizer tower forces evacuations and traffic restrictions in Midtown

Buckling support columns at the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street forced a frozen zone in Midtown and sent emergency crews into the 37-story tower as it continued shifting through the day. Two structural supports on the 21st floor began giving way around 8 a.m. Tuesday, with floors sagging between the 21st and 26th floors at 235 East 42nd Street.

The NYPD sealed off a broad stretch from 40th to 45th Streets and from First to Third Avenues, cutting through one of Manhattan’s busiest corridors near Grand Central Terminal, Bryant Park, Times Square and the Chrysler Building. A nearby school with about 400 students was evacuated, and no injuries were reported. Fire officials considered the steel-framed building more likely to suffer a localized collapse than a total failure, but engineers and first responders were still working later in the day to shore up the damaged floors.

The traffic footprint spread beyond the block itself. The M42 was partially suspended, the southbound M15 and M15-SBS were rerouted, and the northbound M15 and M15-SBS bypassed some stops near the frozen zone. The M101, M102 and M103 also faced major delays, while subway service remained uninterrupted. A city emergency alert issued at 8:31 a.m. warned of traffic delays and a heavy presence of emergency personnel near East 42nd Street and Second Avenue.

The building is a 1970s-era office tower now in the middle of a conversion into luxury apartments. Gensler said the project, at 219 to 235 East 42nd Street, will be the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York City history when it is completed in 2027, with more than 1,600 apartments planned, including more than 400 affordable units.