Midtown Manhattan Building Unstable After Columns Buckle, Mamdani Says

Summary

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a press conference about a structural emergency at a Midtown Manhattan construction site at 235 East 42nd Street. Two columns on the 21st floor buckled, causing cracks and sagging floors, and the building remains unstable. No injuries have been reported and a frozen zone is in place while crews work to stabilize the site.

• Structural issue reported at active construction site on East 42nd Street
• Two columns buckled on the 21st floor with cracks and sagging floors
• Building remains unstable and engineers plan shoring operations
• No injuries reported and all workers accounted for
• Frozen zone established from 40th to 45th streets between First and Third Avenues
• Area closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic; public urged to avoid it