Metro Loft to Reconstruct 15 Floors After 2 Columns Buckled in Midtown Tower
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 8
Metro Loft to Reconstruct 15 Floors After 2 Columns Buckled in Midtown Tower
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 8
Summary
Metro Loft said it will rebuild 15 floors added during the apartment conversion of 235 East 42nd St. after structural problems forced the Midtown Manhattan tower's evacuation Tuesday.
Two columns bent because the taller-than-usual 21st floor made them more vulnerable to load, and they were not sufficiently reinforced, CEO Nathan Berman said.
That buckling caused some of the 15 cantilevered floors above to sag, identifying the converted upper section of the former Pfizer building as the area requiring reconstruction.
The repair plan offers the first detailed explanation of the failure at the tower, shifting the focus from evacuation to how the developer intends to stabilize and rebuild the damaged section.