Vessel (structure)

Vesselis a structure and visitor attraction built as part ofHudson YardsinManhattan,New York City,New York. Built to plans by the British designerThomas Heatherwick, the elaboratehoneycomb-like structure rises 150 feet and consists of 154 flights ofstairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb.Vesselis the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square. Funded by Hudson Yards developerRelated Companies, its final cost is estimated to have been $200 million.
The concept ofVesselwas unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016. Construction began in April 2017, with the pieces being manufactured in Italy and shipped to the United States.Vesseltopped outin December 2017 with the installation of its highest piece, and it opened to the public on March 15, 2019. Upon its opening,Vesselreceived mixed reviews, with some critics praising its prominent placement within Hudson Yards, and others deriding the structure as extravagant.Vesselwas also initially criticized for its restrictivecopyrightpolicy regarding photographs of the structure, as well as its lack of accessibility for disabled visitors, although both issues were subsequently addressed.
In January 2021, following three suicides atVessel, it was closed to the public indefinitely.Vesselreopened in May 2021, then indefinitely closed again after another suicide two months later. It reopened in October 2024 following the installation of more safety barriers.
Vesselis a 16-story, 150-foot-tall (46 m)structure of connected staircases among the buildings of Hudson Yards, located in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square.Designed byThomas Heatherwick,Vesselhas 154 flights, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings,with the total length of the stairs exceeding 1 mile (1.6 km).The copper-clad steps, arranged like ajungle gymand modeled afterIndian stepwells,can hold 1,000 people at a time.The structure also has ramps and an elevator to comply with theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA),though only three ofVessel'slandings are ADA-accessible as of 2019.
Vesselis 50 feet (15 m) wide at its base, expanding to 150 feet (46 m) at the apex.Stephen Ross, the CEO of Hudson Yards' developerRelated Companies, said that its unusual shape was intended to make the structure stand out like a "12-month Christmas tree".Heatherwick said that he intends visitors to climb and explore the structure as if it were a jungle gym.At the top of the structure, visitors can see theHudson River.
Vesselis located in and was designed in concert with the Hudson Yards Public Square, designed byThomas WoltzofNelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.The 5-acre (2 ha) space hosts 28,000 plants and 225 trees in total.A canopy of trees is located in the southern area of the plaza. The southeast entrance to the plaza also includes a fountain. A "seasonally expressive" garden stands across fromVesseloutside the entrance to theNew York City Subway's34th Street–Hudson Yards station.The plaza is also connected to theHigh Line, an elevated promenade that extends south of Hudson Yards.
AlthoughVesselhad originally been slated to cost $75 million,the projections were later revised to between $150and $200 million.Heatherwick attributed the greatly increased price tag to the complexity of building the steel pieces.The pieces ofVesselwere assembled in the comune ofMonfalconein Italy.Ships transported the sections of the sculpture to Hudson River docks.
"Vessel"was planned to be the structure's temporary name during construction, with a permanent name to be determined later.AfterVesselopened, Hudson Yards asked the public to give it a formal name, creating a website devoted to that effect.
In an interview withFortunemagazine, Ross said that he "wanted to commission something transformational, monumental", which led to the concept forVessel.Ross was looking to five unnamed artists who were renowned for designing similar plazas, then asked them for in-depth proposals. He rejected all of the plans, at which point a colleague introduced Ross to Heatherwick.Six weeks after they talked, Ross accepted Heatherwick's proposal immediately because it "had everything I wanted".In an interview withdesignboom, Heatherwick said that his design forVesseloriginated from a childhood experience when he "fell in love with an old discarded flight of wooden stairs outside a local building site".The media first reported Heatherwick's commissioning in October 2013.
The concept ofVesselwas unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016,in an event attended by hundreds of people including New York City MayorBill de Blasio.Hosted byAnderson Cooper, the event featured a performance from theAlvin Ailey American Dance Theaterthat evoked the interlocking design ofVessel'sstaircases.
In April 2017, the first major piece of the sculpture was installed at Hudson Yards.Construction started on April 18with the installation of the first 10 pieces of the 75-piece structure.It was projected for completion in the spring of 2019,with the other 65 pieces arriving in five batches.The structuretopped outin December 2017.In October 2018, it was announced that the opening ofVesselhad been scheduled for March 15, 2019, and that tickets to enter the structure would become available in February.By January 2019, Hudson Yards officials were soliciting public suggestions for a rename ofVessel. Though the structure had no official name, the Hudson Yards website called it the "Hudson Yards Staircase".Vesselopened as scheduled on March 15, 2019.
Hudson Yards initially claimed to own any photo taken ofVessel. This drew criticism, not least because the developers had been given $4.5 billion of public money,and Hudson Yards quickly stopped claiming to own others' photos ofVessel.
On February 1, 2020, a 19-year-old man jumped from the sixth floor of the structure and died, apparently the first such incident involvingVessel.On December 22, 2020, a 24-year-old woman jumped from the top of the structure and also died.Less than a month later, on January 11, 2021, a 21-year-old man jumped fromVessel.Following this third death, the structure was indefinitely closed while the Related Companies consulted with experts on a strategy to prevent suicides.Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods hired a suicide prevention expert, who suggested adding netting or raising the glass barriers.However, no changes were ultimately made to the barriers.
Vesselwas reopened at the end of May 2021, but all visitors were required to be accompanied by at least one other person. In addition, after the first hour of each day, all visitors older than five years old had to pay $10 for a ticket.Revenue from ticket sales was to fund safety upgrades.Two months later, on July 29, 2021, a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death while he was with his family.After this fourth death,Vesselwas again closed indefinitely.Stephen Ross said he was considering closing the structure permanently.By August 2022, Hudson Yards officials were testing safety nets aroundVesselin preparation for the structure's possible reopening.After full-height steel mesh nets were installed on each level, news media reported in early 2024 thatVesselwould reopen later that year, though the top level would remain closed.On October 21, 2024,Vesselreopened;initially, only the lowest two levels and parts of the upper levels were open to the public.
The sculpture has received both acclaim and criticism.FortunewriterShawn TullycalledVessel"Manhattan's answer to theEiffel Tower",a sentiment echoed byCNNreporter Tiffany Ap.Elle Decorwriter Kelsey Kloss comparedVesselto anM. C. Escherdrawing.Several commentators have referred to the structure as theGiantShawarma.Speaking about the structure's design process, Heatherwick said, "We had to think of what could act as the role of a landmarker. Something that could help give character and particularity to the space."
Ted Loos ofThe New York Timessaid the sculpture, while a "stairway to nowhere" in the utilitarian sense, served as an "exclamation point" to the northern terminus of the High Line.David Colon ofGothamistcalledVessel"a bold addition to the city's landscape".Public Art Fundpresident Susan Freedman liked the renderings forVesselbut called it "a leap of faith in terms of scale". She said there might be too much demand forVessel, especially considering the structure's proximity to the High Line.
Other critics pannedVessel.New York Timesarchitecture critic Michael Kimmelman calledVessel'sexterior "gaudy" and criticized Hudson Yards more generally as a "gated community" that lacked real public space.CityLab's Feargus O'Sullivan calledVessel, along with Heatherwick's other numerous billionaire-funded developments and architectural projects, "a gaudy monument to being only ever-so-slightly free."Some called it a "piece of junk" and an "eyesore", and contrasted it negatively toCloud Gate, also known as the Bean, inMillennium Park,Chicago.Blair Kaminof theChicago Tribunecalled it "willful and contrived".
Vesselwas initially largely inaccessible for wheelchair users. It consisted mainly of stairs, with only a single elevator to connect one of the sets of landings,and drew protests from disability-rights groups outside the structure.To protest the inaccessibility of the structure, the artist Shannon Finnegan set up a lounge that could only be accessed by signing an agreement to not travel above the structure's ground level.TheUnited States Department of Justicefiled a complaint alleging that because of the number of separate landings withinVessel, most of the structure was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, except for the portions directly outside the elevator. Furthermore, elevator stops on the fifth and seventh stories were sometimes skipped due to overcrowding concerns.In December 2019, Related Companies andVesseloperator ERY Vessel LLC reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to increase accessibility to the structure by adding wheelchair lifts and retaining elevator access to all levels.