"The Vessel" Hudson Yards Sculpture To Reopen With New Suicide Prevention Safeguards

The Vessel, a popular attraction in Manhattan's Hudson Yards, is set to reopen after closing in 2021 due to multiple suicides.

The beehive-like structure will now feature steel barriers on most upper levels to enhance safety, while the top level will stay closed, and the first two floors will remain fully accessible, according to the Gothamist.

These enclosures, designed to be cut-proof and weather-resistant, aim to prevent further tragedies after the reopening.

The sculpture, featuring approximately 2,500 steps and 80 landings, debuted in 2019 as part of the new Midtown West development. Shortly after its opening, a 19-year-old named Peter DeSalvo III died by suicide at the site.

Over the following 18 months, three more suicides occurred, including that of a 14-year-old boy in 2021, leading developers to close the stair access.

Related Companies spokesperson Kathleen Corless told the New York Times that the attraction will reopen after installing "floor-to-ceiling steel mesh" on several staircases. The company aims to maintain the distinctive appeal that has attracted millions worldwide, while enhancing safety, she said. 

"As one climbs up Vessel, the railings stay just above waist height all the way up to the structure’s top, but when you build high, folks will jump," Audrey Wachs told the New York Times. 

"It had designed safety barriers and expressed frustration with the developers’ resistance to installing them," an employee of Heatherwick Studio added.

Peter DeSalvo Jr., the father of the first person to die by suicide, told The New York Times: "All the deaths, including that of our son, could have been prevented if they had adequate safeguards."

Initially closed early in 2021, the report said that the Vessel had briefly reopened with new safety measures like suicide prevention signs and increased security, yet it closed again following another incident.

A specific reopening date has not been announced by Hudson Yards management. We're hoping it doesn't coincide with the next massive market crash...