Building was largest U.S. office-to-residential conversion

The New York City Department of Investigation opened an inquiry Saturday into a Midtown Manhattan high-rise where two supporting columns buckled this week, a DOI spokeswoman confirmed to the Wall Street Journal. The DOI inquiry layers a watchdog investigation onto the existing structural-safety and regulatory review of the building at 235 East 42nd Street, the former Pfizer headquarters being converted into roughly 1,600 apartments in the largest-ever office-to-residential conversion in the U.S.

The inquiry will examine whether construction work matched approved engineering plans and whether workers performed the work correctly, according to the New York City Department of Buildings, which said it also would review all construction plans at the property, interview witnesses and inspect the site. The DOI spokeswoman provided no further details.

Workers spotted structural concerns Tuesday on the building’s 21st floor. First responders found two buckled columns and several sagging floors, and officials said the building continued to move in the hours that followed. The incident forced workers to self-evacuate and prompted officials to evacuate neighboring buildings and close surrounding streets. No injuries were reported.

The building, on East 42nd Street between Second and Third avenues, was in the process of being converted from offices into residential units as part of a wider effort to relieve the city’s housing crunch by repurposing empty office space. The project aims to create roughly 1,600 apartments, along with a rooftop pool, fitness center and ground-floor shops, by next year.

Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of developer MetroLoft, told the Journal that increased weight from widening about 15 top floors — starting on the 22nd floor — likely caused the structural damage. MetroLoft, Grace Consulting Engineers and Domani Inspection Services were all involved in the project. None have been accused of wrongdoing.

MetroLoft and Grace didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the DOI inquiry, the Journal reported. A Domani spokeswoman said the firm “remains committed to maintaining the highest professional standards and providing independent, code-compliant special inspection services.”