Domani Inspection Services had been cited three times by New York City between 2012 and 2017 before columns buckled Tuesday inside the Midtown tower it had inspected.
The private firm had signed off on high-strength bolting, steel welding and structural stability work in the conversion of 235 East 42nd Street into a 37-story apartment building, though it is unclear whether that inspected work caused the failure.
Records show the Department of Buildings accused Domani of violations including unlicensed concrete testing and failing to report a facade collapse; two cases were dismissed and one ended in a $1,000 fine.
The 21st-floor column failure forced evacuations of nearby buildings, disrupted workplaces and traffic, and intensified scrutiny of MetroLoft, special inspection agencies and New York's push to convert offices into housing.