'Buckling' beams at Manhattan high-rise under construction trigger evacuations

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: NBC 4 New York

Manhattan

‘Buckling' beams at Manhattan high-rise under construction trigger evacuations

The building, formerly Pfizer's global headquarters, is being converted into a 1,500-unit luxury rental complex. It was evacuated, along with neighboring buildings. A press conference is expected.

By Jennifer Millman • Published 2 hours ago • Updated 6 minutes ago

Two structural support beams on the 21st floor of a 37-story under-construction building in Manhattan started buckling Tuesday morning, triggering evacuations, street closures, and a large emergency response, officials say.

The FDNY said it got a call around 8 a.m. about bricks falling from the building at 235 East 42nd Street, between Second and Third avenues. The NYPD says it got a 911 call about the incident less than 15 minutes later.

When cops got to the scene, the NYPD says officers were told that construction workers on the 21st floor of the 37-story commercial building saw the columns beginning to collapse.

Read more: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/manhattan/fdny-responds-to-report-of-buckling-building-in-manhattan/6522605/

[Drum]

1. NYTimes coverage...gift link...check for updates:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/nyregion/pfizer-building-midtown-collapse.html?unlocked_article_code=1.v1A.0yV3.Zd_YepxJzKRO&smid=nytcore-ios-share

[ahlnord]

6. not accessible

Sorry, this link is not to a gift article. Can you repost as a gift?

[Drum]

7. Try this:

They switched it to a “Live Updates” thing, probably that’s the issue.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07/07/nyregion/pfizer-building-midtown-collapse?unlocked_article_code=1.v1A.t_XT.PZtcykoAtAkE&smid=nytcore-ios-share

[rampartd]

2. probably the kind of building code tump will use on the ball room

i hope no one was injured.

we lost 4 workers when the hard rock hotel collapsed

https://www.wbrz.com/news/engineer-provides-updated-explanation-for-nola-hard-rock-hotel-collapse

“You can see where the two upper floors are moving kind of together rather than individually,” Walter Zehner said of the video. “And that indicates that the 16th floor failed and the other floors just came down with it.”

His explanation of the collapse is in harmony with an unreleased report by an engineer with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration who reportedly discovered that 81 beams supporting the 16th floor were not up to code and dozens of them were “grossly undersized.”

[Ray Bruns]

3. Joe Biden's fault?

[2na fisherman]

4. Fewer Code Compliance Officers And Ones Who Take Bribes

A big part of Trump's agenda is to gut oversight of and safety regulations for buildings throughout America. So let's make it easier for contractors to cheat and then get people killed when shoddy buildings collapse. And let's not worry about our food and drug or aviation safety either. There are so many ways this regime harms the country. And we will be trying to repair things for a very long time after it is gone.

[paleotn]

11. Actually the bulk of that oversight is local

Codes and inspections. Feds, no matter who they are, have limited say in that. I know he’s evil incarnate, but let’s keep it to what he can actually fuck up.

[CaptainTruth]

13. True, the bulk. As a contractor one of the few times I have to contact a Fed agency is when doing asbestos abatement.

According to current law contractors are required to file an asbestos NESHAP notification with the EPA at least 10 days before beginning work.

Most don't. Do you think Trump did before tearing down the East Wing of the White House? Heck no he didn't.

That's one example of the kind of Federal building regulation Trump would eliminate in a heartbeat.

[republianmushroom]

5. Not a good thing.

[Vinca]

8. Trump Construction Company? Someone probably slit the steel beams with a knife.

[highplainsdem]

9. I lived just a few blocks south of there in the 1970s, in Murray Hill. I've been reading about how much

they added to the original structure. Tremendous amount of weight.

And the NYT added this update minutes ago:

The Department of Buildings filed a complaint on Tuesday against the project developers, accusing them of conducting excavation that was beyond or contrary to construction plans that had been approved, according to the agency’s online portal. Specifics of the complaint were not yet available.

The building, which has been under construction since 2024, had a total of 22 violations dating as far back to 2020, mostly for failing to file elevator inspection and testing reports. Thirteen of the complaints remain active, and the owners owe the city $39,000 in penalties.

[FakeNoose]

10. AP News just posted the same story

Link: https://apnews.com/article/nyc-manhattan-building-collapse-risk-04dfeb966e0daa2caba74006ad174ea1

Manhattan high-rise is still unstable after columns buckle, forcing evacuations



It's the former Pfizer headquarters, the high-rise building at 235 East 42nd Street. It hasn't collapsed but some of the beams have buckled while workmen are working to upgrade the building for residential use. Mayor Mamdani is on the scene.

(More at link)

[highplainsdem]

12. They apparently added way too much weight, too many new storeys, atop the original structure, which

was 65 years old (Pfizer had moved into the building in 1961, according to Forbes).