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Visitors are no longer allowed to climb Vessel alone following trio of suicides within the space of a year
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 07 Jun 2021
The Heatherwick Studios-designed Vessel opened in 2019 Credit: Katharina Matt on Unsplash
Vessel, a 150-foot (15.2m) monumental staircase acting as the centrepiece to New York’s multi-billion dollar Hudson Yards development, has reopened with a ban on solo visitors.
The monument reopened on May 28 following its closure in January, which came after a 21-year-old man jumped to his death - the third suicide at the attraction in the space of less than a year.
The Heatherwick Studio-designed structure, which opened in 2019, was constructed as an “interactive artwork” with 154 inteconnecting flights of stairs made up of 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings. At its peak, Vessel offers views from up high of New York and the Hudson River.
At the time of its closure, a spokesperson for Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards, said that the firm was in consultation with suicide-prevention experts and psychiatrists about how to limit the potential for more suicides. As a result of this, there have been a number of operational changes. Security on-site has increased but the barriers on the Vessel’s walkways have not been heightened as part of the suicide prevention measures.
“Vessel is made extraordinary by the millions of people who visit and experience it with others,” said a spokesperson for Hudson Yards.
“The team at Vessel are requiring visitors to attend in groups of two or more, implementing enhanced guest engagement and screening procedures to detect high-risk behaviors, tripling the staff and security, including messaging developed in partnership with Born This Way at the entrance to the attraction and on all Vessel tickets, and installing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline signage at the entrance.”
In addition to the ban on solo visitors and new safety measures now in place, the Vessel’s reopening also comes with operational changes, primarily a US$10 (€8.20,£7) entry fee for the previously free-to-visit attraction. This fee is waived for visitors arriving during the first hour of operation each day.
The structure is a major tourist draw for the US$25bn (€20.5bn, £17.6bn) Hudson Yards project, which is the largest mixed-use private development in US history.
The wider project, which features residential towers, offices, plazas, shopping centres and restaurants. Hudson Yards has been hit hard by global pandemic, with restrictions and changes to working life meaning much of the development has remained empty since its opening in 2019.
Vessel is made up of 154 inteconnecting flights of stairs and 80 landings CREDIT: EVELYN AKHMEROV ON UNSPLASH
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