NYC inspectors probe other projects after Midtown beam buckle

MetroLoft and private inspector Domani targeted in safety sweep

The Department of Buildings began investigating other projects as a “proactive” safety measure in response to the structural issues that emerged last week at 235 East 42nd Street, said David Maggiotto, a spokesman for the agency. The city is looking into projects that involve the same developer, MetroLoft, and the private building inspector it hired, Domani Inspection Services, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Maggiotto declined to name the companies under scrutiny but said the city would examine other projects run by those involved in the 42nd Street conversion. “We need to look at everybody who is involved in this work site and then look at what other properties they are involved in throughout New York City,” Maggiotto said. He added that the department would not likely inspect every property with some connection to the people who worked at the site.

MetroLoft and Domani did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The incident occurred last Tuesday when two steel columns buckled and several floors of the building began to sag. Nine surrounding buildings were evacuated and emergency responders blocked off streets during morning rush hour. Four buildings remain under a full vacate order.

The Department of Buildings said it had not detected any new movement of the building since last Tuesday. The agency also hired engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to conduct its own independent forensic analysis of the incident. The department is conducting interviews with “witnesses and responsible parties” related to the incident.

MetroLoft had set out to turn the old Pfizer headquarters into 1,600 new apartments, complete with a rooftop pool, gym and ground-floor retail. It is the largest planned office-to-residential conversion in the country. Nathan Berman, managing principal and founder of MetroLoft, said the steel columns may have buckled because they had not been properly reinforced to support the extra weight of the new additions to the property.

Office-to-residential conversions have boomed over the past half-decade as cities contend with a combination of empty office space and chronic housing shortages. Public officials have welcomed these projects as an answer to both, often awarding them tax breaks or other incentives. While the incident at the old Pfizer building has spooked some investors and lenders of these projects, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has maintained his support for office-to-residential conversions.

“I do continue to consider the conversion of office space into residential space as part of our answer to the housing crisis,” Mamdani said last week. “I also consider that we have to do so safely and in a way that is fully accountable.”