On This Day — October 28, 2026
News and commentary · Checked October 28, 2026
Some of New York’s next apartments are inside buildings originally designed for office workers.
But a construction incident this summer raised serious questions.
Two structural columns buckled at the former Pfizer headquarters while additional floor space was being added. The city inspected approximately two dozen other conversion projects.
After determining that the incident didn’t show an inherent problem with office conversions generally, the city issued 16 new permits.
That’s why the article says conversions are “back.”
The approximately 12,000 potential apartments mentioned in The Wall Street Journal’s report are homes in the pipeline—not apartments ready for someone to move into.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal
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