Offices and hotels near East 42nd Street were evacuated following structural damage affecting a project transforming a former office building. Traffic in the area was stopped. Fortunately, no injuries occurred.
The partial collapse of a 37-story building, under conversion into residential units, disrupted Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. The incident has prompted an investigation.
Early Tuesday morning, construction workers on East 42nd Street were converting the office space when the structure began to fail. Cliff Johnsen, a representative of the Local 638 steamfitters union, reported bending beams and sagging floors. The rapid deterioration of the building forced an evacuation.
Emergency services were alerted by a supervisor after evacuating the building at 235 East 42nd Street, near Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations. Emergency response teams evacuated surrounding buildings and restricted access to several streets for safety.
No injuries were reported, but severe structural damage was observed between the 21st and 26th floors. Though still standing, the building is deemed unstable. Many businesses temporarily closed, and tourists were caught in a newly established “frozen zone” covering multiple blocks.
This mishap has disrupted a prominent project that aimed to tackle the city’s housing shortage by converting office space into living areas. Touted as the largest conversion project in city history, it was scheduled for completion next year. The uncertain future of the project now rests on inspectors determining the cause and extent of the structural issues.