A high-rise building in Manhattan was at risk of collapse after columns buckled and floors sagged, officials said Tuesday, prompting an emergency response during the rush-hour commute.

The building, the former headquarters of Pfizer, is being converted into apartments. Fire officials said they received a report that bricks were falling from the 38-story building, in the city's midtown district just before 8 a.m. Officials determined that two columns had buckled on the building's 21st and 22nd floors and that several floors near the columns were sagging.

No injuries were reported, fire officials said. Construction crews had to evacuate the building, a worker at the scene said. Several nearby buildings were being evacuated as a precaution, according to officials.

The building is located on East 42nd Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues.

MetroLoft, one of the companies redeveloping the building, didn't respond to a request for comment. MetroLoft plans to convert the office building into 1,600 luxury apartments, according to the company's website.

Updates to follow as news develops.

Write to Victoria Albert at victoria.albert@wsj.com and Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 07, 2026 11:07 ET (15:07 GMT)

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