On April 8, 2025, a 17-story office building located at 130 East 59th Street, on the border of Midtown and the Upper East Side, was evacuated after a basement wall began to collapse. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) received a call about the collapsing wall at 12:22 p.m. People had already evacuated before the FDNY's arrival. The building houses the UJA-Federation of New York and is situated near Lexington Avenue.
The collapse was attributed to an accumulation of rainwater in an adjacent empty lot, which saturated the soil. This saturated soil then exerted pressure on a non-load-bearing wall in the building's basement, causing it to crack and partially collapse. The FDNY was able to stabilize the weakened wall by 1:10 p.m. There were no reported injuries from the incident.
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has been assigned to investigate and address the issue. Initial inspections by DOB officials confirmed several cracks in the wall near the building's foundation at the cellar level and a section that had partially collapsed. Investigations at the scene are ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage and necessary remedies.
