SAFETY RISK

NYC’s Buckling Skyscraper Will Be Partially Demolished Amid An Ongoing Investigation

Experts say that efforts to rebuild the structure can be dangerous if not carried out with caution.

The Midtown Manhattan skyscraper at risk of collapse on Tuesday is now the subject of an ongoing investigation and stabilization work. “This investigation will help determine how this failure occurred, what events led to the failure, and how similar failures can be prevented in the future,” New York’s Department of Buildings’ Deputy Press Secretary David Maggiotto told the Daily Beast regarding the former Pfizer headquarters. Concerns in the city arose long before the support beams on the 21st and 22nd floor of the E. 42nd St. building showed signs of breakage; according to Department of Buildings records obtained by the New York Post, the structure had 311 complaints and several lawsuits from former workers. However, the Department of Buildings seems to have acted swiftly; Maggiato further stated to the Daily Beast that all work is being supervised by one of the building’s in-house engineers and a new third-party engineering firm. “No additional movement [of the steel columns] has been detected since Tuesday morning,” and many of the temporary evacuations of the nearby areas have since been lifted.