Climbable sculpture in Hudson Yards in Manhattan closed in 2021 after four people died by suicide
The Vessel, the huge climbable centerpiece of New York’s upmarket Hudson Yards development that saw a number of suicides, is set to reopen later this year with new safety features, according to developers.
The 150ft sculpture, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and built at a cost of $260m, was closed three years ago after four people jumped to their deaths. Besides overall criticism of its design – including descriptions of it as a giant gold shish-kebab rotisserie – the construction was grimly described to the Guardian as “staircase to nowhere”.
Before its closure, Related Companies, the company that controls Hudson Yards, imposed a $10 entrance fee and a rule requiring that visitors do not climb the structure alone. But that plan proved unsuccessful when a 14-year-old boy jumped in front his family.
Good to hear that from someone from New York, I’ve seen it a few times during visits and it never made much sense to me. It’s not really in a great location and any views you’d catch being at the top are blocked by nearby buildings that are taller. It also just looks exhausting to climb it. Like, who really wants to climb 16-stories of stairs for art to see not much from the top?