Repair work is set to begin on a Midtown Manhattan high-rise that experienced significant structural issues earlier this year. The former Pfizer headquarters at 235 E. 42nd Street, located near Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building, was evacuated on July 7 after several floors buckled during ongoing construction.

The 37-story building, which is undergoing the city’s largest office-to-residential conversion project, saw massive beams begin to warp, causing portions of floors to cave in and bricks to fall onto the street below. These safety concerns prompted the immediate evacuation of workers and residents from the site.

According to recently filed engineering plans, contractors will carefully raise the sagging floors in very small increments of about 1/64th of an inch at a time — roughly the thickness of a guitar pick. Over the course of the repair process, the floors are expected to be lifted approximately seven inches to restore structural alignment and integrity.

The effort comes more than three months after the building was vacated, highlighting the complexity of addressing the severe deformation encountered. Engineers and construction teams plan to use specialized jacking equipment to methodically correct the floor levels without compromising stability during the operation.

The high-rise repair will proceed amid ongoing scrutiny of the project, which had been advancing its transformation from commercial office space to residential apartments prior to the incident. Officials and construction managers have not disclosed a timeline for completion but emphasize that safety remains the top priority as work resumes.