This piece includes the discussion of suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
In 2016, the concept of Vessel, a structure and visitor attraction in NYC’s Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, was unveiled to the city. Construction began in September 2016, and it opened to the public in March 2019.
Vessel was a popular tourist attraction before COVID struck. Part work of art, part tourist attraction, the 150-foot tall structure had 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps and 80 landings. The top of Vessel offered sweeping views of the Hudson River and New Jersey at the top.
Vessel, unfortunately, was also a popular place to commit suicide. With its 150′ tall height and relatively low safety bars, it made it an idea place to jump from. Tragically, less than a year after Vessel opened, it had its first “jumper” and between February 2020 and January 2021, three people had taken their own lives by jumping off Vessel.
Following the third death, the property’s developer, Related Companies, closed the structure indefinitely while they consulted with experts to figure out how to prevent future suicides.
Despite requests from multiple parties, the developers refused to make safer safety barriers. Instead, they decided that since all three of the people who had committed suicide there had visited Vessel alone, visitors would no longer be able to gain entry to the attraction if they arrived alone. They had to be in a party of 2 or more. I kid you not.
Vessell reopened in May, 2021. The New York Times reported that on July 29th of that year, a 14 -year-old boy, part of a group of five, committed suicide by jumping from Vessel.
The attraction closed again and has remained shuttered ever since.
However there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Nearly 3 years after closing down, Vessel is going to reopen, with new safety measures installed.
The attraction will reopen, once “floor-to-ceiling steel mesh” is installed on several staircases, said Kathleen Corless, a spokeswoman for Related Companies, the developer of Hudson Yards. The measure will preserve the “unique experience that has drawn millions of visitors from around the globe,” the company said in a statement.
Work on the safety feature has already started – black mesh, looking something like fishing nets, can already be seen around the third floor of the structure.
By the end of the project, Related Companies says the steel mesh enclosures will be added to roughly half of Vessel’s traversable area, with barriers on four stairwells and adjoining platforms. The first 2 levels will be fully open, but the top level will remain closed to the public.
It’s believed Vessel will reopen with these safety features sometime in 2024.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
