Manhattan skyscraper teeters as buckling columns force mass Midtown evacuation

Systemic Error Podcast · Aug 11, 2026 · 3m

When a Tower Buckles, So Does the City’s Real-Estate FaithThe Event Is Not the StoryA 37-story tower at 235 East 42nd Street, once Pfizer’s global headquarters, had to be evacuated Tuesday after inspectors found buckling support columns and sagging floors between the 21st and 26th stories. FDNY sent 21 units; nearby buildings, part of East 42nd Street, and even a school with about 400 children were cleared out. No one was injured. That is the immediate fact pattern. The political question is who set the conditions for this near-disaster in the first place.Power Sat With the People Who Chased…