“Huge shake” at One Vanderbilt sends office workers scrambling

UPDATED March 22, 12:43 a.m.: An elevator malfunction at SL Green’s One Vanderbilt in Midtown Manhattan shook office workers literally and figuratively at the 93-story skyscraper Tuesday afternoon.

A vibration was reportedly felt on various floors of the office tower, caused by an exterior Summit observatory elevator called “Ascent” that mechanics were working on, according to a statement SL Green sent to One Vanderbilt tenants. Some occupants of the building voluntarily evacuated.

The observatory was closed to the public at the time and no one was injured or in danger, according to the major office landlord. However, the Department of Buildings reported Tuesday evening that the three elevator mechanics suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention.

An agency spokesperson said the mechanics were performing a software update on the elevator when the car plunged about three stories to the 93rd floor and landed on a spring designed to catch falling cars. That is apparently what caused people in the massive building to feel it shake.

The department will return to One Vanderbilt on Wednesday to continue its investigation.

SL Green’s statement said there was “no impact to building systems or infrastructure, and building operations remain normal.” The Department of Buildings confirmed that there were no structural stability issues or danger to the public.

An elevator mechanic who declined to identify himself told The Real Deal that the exterior rack and pinion elevator at the top of the tower caused the problem. The worker said the elevator went up higher than it was supposed to.

It was anything but normal for office workers at One Vanderbilt, many of whom took to social media to share their experiences.

People were later seen entering and exiting the building as usual. The building’s subway entrance and TD Bank branch were both open.

One Vanderbilt opened in 2020. At 1,401 feet, it is the tallest office building in Midtown and third tallest building of any kind in the city. The 1.7-million-square-foot office tower was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox.

Notable office tenants include the Carlyle Group, Michael Dell’s MSD Partners and Fidelity National Information Services. The $322-per-square-foot asking rent at its top rentable floor was reportedly the highest ever sought at a New York City office building.

— Katie Brenzel and Orion Jones contributed reporting to this story