432 Park Ave facade has hundreds of cracks raising safety concerns

The slender 102-story tower at 432 Park Avenue, which sits along a stretch of luxury residential skyscrapers known as Manhattan’s Billionaires’ Row, is facing problems with its facade, according to a recent report.

The facade of 432 Park Avenue — one of the tallest residential buildings in the Western Hemisphere — has visible damage with hundreds of cracks, indicating the structure is struggling to withstand wind and rain, according to independent engineering experts, construction reports and court filings obtained by The New York Times. Engineers warned that if the issues were not addressed, the building could eventually become uninhabitable or pose safety risks to pedestrians below, according to the report. These repairs could come at a hefty cost, with engineers estimating it could reach nine figures, the Times reported.

Thousands of pages of court documents, public records and private correspondence between building residents and planners, reviewed by The Times, showed that members of the buildings’ team of developers, engineers and architects were concerned about concrete even before construction began. These issues have led to lawsuits from building board members.

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The city says recent inspections revealed its facade is safe. A spokesperson for 432 Park also told FOX Business that claims that the building is unsafe are unfounded.

The building was designed by Rafael Viñoly and rises 1,396 feet above Park Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. It is described as an exceptional creative collaboration that combines “Palladian-style proportioned rooms with the highest engineering techniques, honest materials and diverse layout,” according to its website.

The New York City Department of Buildings said that buildings in the city that are more than six stories tall are subject to the requirements of the department’s Facade and Safety Inspection Program, commonly referred to as Local law 11. This law requires building owners to hire a qualified exterior wall inspector (QEWI) and inspect the building’s facade at least once every five years. These inspection reports must be submitted to the Department of Buildings and made public.

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The most recent facade inspection submitted on April 15, 2025 showed that the exterior walls of 432 Park Ave. “Safe with Repair and Maintenance Program” (SWARMP). This means that the wall of 432 Park Ave. Or parts of it that were safe at the time of inspection but need repairs or maintenance within the next five years to prevent them from becoming unsafe.

Residential skyscraper 432 Park Ave. In downtown New York City, on November 14, 2021. (Amir Hamja/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In 2022, an inspection found unsafe conditions during a facade inspection of the building, according to records obtained by FOX Business. However, as required by law, the inspector informed management and submitted an unsafe notice to it in October 2022.

The building’s owners made subsequent repairs to address these unsafe conditions, the department said. A new report was filed in February 2023 indicating that the facade of the building was in a SWARMP condition.

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The department told FOX Business that none of the parties associated with the building have reached out to it with new information indicating structural stability or life safety concerns in the building. Management is also not aware of any current unsafe conditions on the facade of the building that require pedestrian protection measures.

However, the condo board at 432 Park Avenue filed two separate lawsuits accusing the building’s developers of selling defective units as well as fraudulently covering up the problems, the Times reported.

Residential skyscraper No. 432 Park Avenue, in the middle of the downtown district of New York City. (Amir Hamjah/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for 432 Park told FOX Business that claims that the facade is deteriorating contradict council engineers, who certified the facade as SWARMP.

The spokesperson also noted that the design team, sponsor and contractors “and each of their experts disagree with the Board’s baseless allegations and reiterate that this matter should be resolved in court and not in the press.”

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The building also claimed that the board “negligently followed the recommended facade maintenance program” which required the reapplication of a preventive sealant solution to extend the relevant warranty.

“Contrary to its exaggerated claims, the board spent less than $300,000 on facade repairs in five years, while also spending more than $20 million on legal and consultant fees,” the spokesperson said, adding that “assertions that the sponsor ignored the risks are completely untrue, defamatory, and another error by the board that would result in lower property values ​​and harm to unit owners.”