Visualizing the buckling at an NYC high-rise and how teams are working to stabilize

By Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa, Renée Rigdon, Gillian Roberts, Thomas Bordeaux, CNN

(CNN) — Emergency measures to stabilize a Midtown Manhattan high-rise appear to be holding Wednesday, after the under-construction building’s structural columns buckled Tuesday.

The massive renovation project at 219-235 E. 42nd Street — a conversion of the former Pfizer headquarters into about 1,600 apartments — was scrutinized Tuesday as construction workers had to be safely evacuated after the building began swaying. Damage to structural columns at the 21st floor is visible to the naked eye. Several nearby buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

Here’s what we know happened Tuesday to this high-profile project in a city that is in desperate need of additional housing as rents and home prices soar.

The image on the left, captured March 11, 2025, shows the building before construction, and the image on the right, captured April 7, 2026, shows the building during construction as it was being converted into apartments.

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