Former Pfizer HQ Stabilized After 37-Story Collapse Scare, Letting Most Evacuees Return
Updated
Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 8
Former Pfizer HQ Stabilized After 37-Story Collapse Scare, Letting Most Evacuees Return
3 articles · Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 8
Summary
Most residents evacuated around the former Pfizer headquarters were cleared to return after city officials said the 37-story Midtown East tower had been stabilized.
Buckled columns and bending steel box beams on the 21st floor triggered the scare; developer MetroLoft said added weight from newly expanded upper floors likely caused part of the floor to sag about 4 inches.
Crews are installing metal supports and galvanized steel to replace compromised columns, while the restricted zone has been cut to a two-block stretch around East 42nd and East 43rd streets.
The remaining frozen area still includes a hotel and a private school summer camp serving about 400 children as engineers investigate the root cause and plan permanent repairs.
The tower is one of New York City's largest office-to-apartment conversions, and officials said the probe will examine whether any mistakes in the project led to the structural failure.