More than 24 hours after structural concerns prompted a sudden evacuation, hundreds remained displaced from a Midtown Manhattan high-rise and surrounding buildings, city officials said Wednesday. The evacuation, ordered after fears that the high-rise at 235 E. 42nd Street might collapse, caught many residents, workers, and hotel guests off guard, disrupting daily life across several blocks.
Cris Stennett, a 47-year-old public health researcher staying at a nearby hotel, recounted the urgency of the evacuation. She described stepping out of the shower Tuesday when firefighters urgently knocked on her door, giving residents only about 30 seconds to evacuate. “I was naked and afraid,” she said, noting the stressful and abrupt nature of being forced to leave behind personal belongings.
Initially, a multiblock area was ordered to evacuate, but the perimeter was partially reduced on Wednesday. Despite the narrowing, several buildings remained off-limits: 815 Second Avenue and 225, 231, and 235 E. 43rd Street were still under full evacuation orders. A ground-floor restaurant at 217 E. 43rd Street, Yakiniku Toraji, was subject to a partial vacate order. Authorities kept East 42nd and 43rd Streets between Second and Third Avenues closed to vehicle traffic but allowed local residents, workers, and visitors to return to the area, provided they avoided the buildings under evacuation.
The closures have left many businesses and individuals in a difficult position. Shawn Williams, 59, a retired corrections officer, drove twice from Harlem to retrieve medication from her doctor’s office located in one of the affected buildings. She said she was unable to access the office on both attempts, leading her to seek medical attention at an emergency room instead. Williams also expressed frustration over the costs incurred for parking, which she said totaled more than $90 over the two days without successful access.
Business owners in the area are also feeling the impact. Minas Galitsis, general manager of The Casual Greek Restaurant near 44th Street and Second Avenue, was forced to close temporarily on Tuesday. Though the restaurant reopened Wednesday, Galitsis emphasized the lasting damage to local commerce and called for accountability. “Thankfully nobody got hurt, but somebody’s gotta be held accountable,” he said. “No one’s taking accountability for all the businesses that had to close.”
City officials have not yet released details about the cause of the structural concerns or a timeline for when affected buildings may be deemed safe for reentry. The incident has highlighted the vulnerabilities of aging infrastructure in densely populated urban areas and raised questions about emergency preparedness and response in such situations.