Midtown Manhattan building evacuated after structural damage, no injuries reported

Hundreds of people were evacuated from Midtown Manhattan after firefighters found buckling columns and sagging floors inside the former Pfizer headquarters at 235 East 42nd Street. There were no injuries and all workers were accounted for as engineers moved to assess the damage.

The FDNY received the first reports shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, 2026, after workers noticed bricks falling and structural problems inside the building. Two support columns buckled on the 21st floor, and cracking and sagging floors spread between the 21st and 26th floors as the building continued to move after responders arrived.

The former Pfizer complex at 219 and 235 East 42nd Street, between Second and Third avenues and a block from the Chrysler Building, was sold in 2023 for $364 million to a consortium led by David Werner, with Metro Loft Management also involved. The project is being turned from office space into apartments and is expected to deliver more than 1,600 homes, including more than 400 affordable units, with completion planned for 2027.

The Department of Buildings, FDNY, NYPD and the Office of Emergency Management were on scene, and drones were deployed to monitor the site from above. Officials set up a frozen zone across a wide section of Midtown East, including closures from 40th to 45th streets between First and Third avenues, while several nearby buildings were cleared as a precaution, among them a school with about 400 students.

The site sits in a corridor packed with commuters, office workers and tourists near Grand Central Terminal, the United Nations headquarters and the Chrysler Building. The redevelopment secured a $720 million loan in 2025.