Manhattan building stabilized, some evacuations lifted after collapse feared

A 37-story Manhattan high-rise that sparked fears of a possible collapse and forced widespread evacuations in one of New York City's busiest neighborhoods was stabilized late Tuesday, allowing officials to lift some evacuation orders.

Officials said residents were allowed to return to several of the seven buildings evacuated earlier in the day after inspectors found no additional movement in the damaged structure.

"We've been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement," New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said during a Tuesday evening news conference.

The scare began Tuesday morning after workers discovered buckling structural columns inside the former Pfizer headquarters, a 1970s-era office tower being converted into more than 1,600 luxury apartments.

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Firefighters responded around 8 a.m., prompting the evacuation of nearby buildings, including a school, diplomatic offices and hotels in the bustling Midtown corridor near Grand Central Terminal.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the situation "extremely serious" as engineers conducted floor-by-floor inspections of the building.

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By Tuesday evening, contractors had begun shoring up the damaged area after city officials determined the damaged columns were no longer shifting, though repair work is expected to continue and could disrupt the surrounding area.

Fire Chief John Esposito said officials were concerned about the possibility of a localized structural failure rather than the entire steel-framed building collapsing. A visibly bent column on the 21st floor, along with cracks and sagging floors, prompted the extensive precautionary response.

Nathan Berman, founder of developer MetroLoft, told The Wall Street Journal that additional weight from the project's upper-floor expansion likely contributed to the damage, though he insisted the building itself remains structurally sound.

"Ninety-five percent of the building, the structure is sound and intact," Berman told the newspaper. "There is no way that this corner of a small extension all of a sudden topples this building."

Berman added that investigators are still trying to determine why the two columns buckled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.