
Buckling beams trigger Midtown East evacuation as city braces for potential collapse
A 37-story Midtown East high-rise at 235 E. 42nd St, being converted from Pfizer’s former HQ, had buckling structural beams on the 21st–22nd floors, prompting evacuations of nearby buildings and street closures as emergency crews and engineers monitor movement and prepare stabilization with emergency trusses; there are no injuries, a frozen zone remains in place, and investigators will determine the cause.













