Building on East 42nd is stable after numerous evacuations in Midtown Manhattan, DOB says
The unstable building on East 42nd Street that prompted multiple evacuations and street closures in Midtown Manhattan is "safe and stable," according to the Department of Buildings' commissioner.
Crews appeared to make progress shoring up the East Side high-rise overnight after the FDNY responded to reports of falling bricks Tuesday morning.
The Department of Buildings reported structural damage at the former Pfizer headquarters, which is now undergoing a residential conversion.
Inspectors said they are confident emergency shoring operations overnight have stabilized the problem.
"We've been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement," said DOB commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "Right now we have been in a consistent, stable and safe situation. We have been able to bring in a plan and materials to stabilize the impacted floors and looking to extend that stability plan to other parts of the building."
Frozen zone shrinks, some evacuations lifted
City officials said they felt confident in shrinking the frozen zone because the building has not moved.
Second and Third Avenues are now open, but 42nd and 43rd Streets remain closed to vehicles.
Officials said the most important task right now is continuing to secure the space, then working to ensure the long-term stability of the building.
Five buildings on Second Avenue East 43rd Street remain under strict emergency evacuation orders Wednesday morning.
The city said it will re-evaluate the remaining evacuations later Wednesday.
Did a building collapse in NYC?
While the building did not fall, firefighters found two load-bearing steel columns buckling on the 21st floor, causing floors to sag.
The threat of a collapse forced the evacuation of nine surrounding buildings, affecting more than 100 nearby businesses.
Construction crews have been working around the clock. They could be seen installing steel supports and struts to take the weight off the columns that failed.
"We are not only at the place where emergency struts or jacks are in place to hold up and stabilize where the weak points are, but they are also installing new steel as another emergency intervention," Tigani said.
The department said they are investigating what caused the columns to buckle in the first place.
