New York City has placed a big bet on converting aging office buildings into apartments to help ease its housing crisis. But a structural emergency at one of the most ambitious conversion projects in the country has underscored the significant challenges of such work.
On Tuesday, the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street — a high-rise tower being transformed into roughly 1,600 apartment units with a rooftop pool and fitness center — experienced buckling columns and sagging floors, prompting evacuations and raising safety concerns. The New York City Fire Department said the building was at risk of a “localized collapse” and continued to move as of Tuesday afternoon.
Office-to-apartment conversions have surged since the pandemic emptied many older office towers, offering cities a way to add desperately needed housing. New York City has championed these projects, offering tax incentives to turn vacant office spaces into livable homes. But the structural emergency at the former Pfizer headquarters illustrates the immense technical and financial hurdles involved.
The conversion, one of the largest in the country, involves two buildings originally built in the 1970s. Plans include adding 19 new stories atop one 10-story structure and reconfiguring the adjoining 33-story tower. The project is slated for completion in 2027.
Architectural historian Andrew Alpern expressed skepticism from the start, noting that the building’s design doesn’t easily lend itself to apartments. “The project bothered me right from the start, and now this has happened,” he said.
Converting offices into homes is far more complex than building new. Each apartment needs its own bathroom and kitchen, requiring extensive plumbing rework. Central air conditioning must be replaced with individual systems. And in large towers, many areas sit far from windows, forcing developers to reconfigure layouts to bring in natural light.
Robert Fuller, a principal at Gensler working on the Pfizer conversion, compared the project to surgery. “There’s just a lot of technical challenges and unique conditions from floor to floor,” he told Bloomberg last year.
Jonathan Marvel, an architect and urban designer, noted that Midtown Manhattan offices are particularly difficult to convert compared to Soho lofts or prewar buildings in Lower Manhattan. “Adding anything beyond a single floor makes the project even more challenging,” he said.
City leaders hope conversions can help solve New York City’s worst housing affordability crisis in decades. In 2024, the city updated its zoning code to allow more non-residential buildings to be turned into housing. But Brett Theodos, a housing researcher at the Urban Institute, cautioned that conversions are not a silver bullet. “It’s not the silver bullet, but I don’t think there is a silver bullet,” he said.
Theodos added that developers and city officials will need to reassure future residents that converted buildings are safe after the structural issues at the Pfizer building. “My question is, what needs to be established to offer people the assurance that they will not be at risk?” he asked. “With these things, the psychology matters.”
