A Midtown Manhattan high-rise under construction was stabilized late Tuesday after buckling columns raised fears of a partial collapse and forced evacuations near Grand Central Terminal.

The building at 235 East 42nd Street, the former Pfizer headquarters, is being converted from offices into apartments. Construction workers noticed structural problems Tuesday morning before officials found buckling columns and sagging floors inside the building. The site and several nearby buildings were evacuated, and no injuries were reported, AP reported.

New York City Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said crews monitored the building for hours and had not seen additional movement by late Tuesday. Contractors were then allowed to begin emergency shoring work, ABC News reported.

The incident disrupted a busy Midtown area. Officials established a “frozen zone” around the site, with traffic and pedestrian restrictions in place. Several nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, including a hotel and a school.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the situation “extremely serious.” Fire officials said a full collapse onto the street was considered less likely because of the building’s steel-frame construction, though a localized collapse remained a concern.

The project is one of New York City’s largest office-to-residential conversions and is expected to create more than 1,600 apartments, according to Gensler. Officials said the cause remains under investigation.