Vessel Reopens with New Steel Mesh Safety Netting to Prevent Suicide Leaps
The Vessel opened in 2019 and the 150-ft tall structure was an instant tourist destination in Hudson Yards. Then four young people plunged to their deaths from the Vessel, prompting the Related Companies to close it for three years. It reopened to the public Oct. 21.
| 21 Oct 2024 | 03:09
The Vessel, in an evening view facing East on Oct. 17. Four days later, on Oct. 21, the 150 ft. structure was reopened to the public for the first time in three years. (
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The Vessel now has steelmesh netting encasing it, barely visible from afar, which is designed to prevent any visitor from taking their own life by leaping off the structure. But the upper level of the 150-ft tall structure is still closed to the public because the mesh netting could not be installed on the uppermost floors. (
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A view looking skyward from inside the Vessel on Oct. 16, 2024. (
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The Vessel in Hudson Yards reopened to the public this week for the first time in three years, partly encased in a steel mesh safety netting designed to prevent a repeat of the four suicides that marred the abstract structures original opening.
“We’re excited to welcome guests from all around the world back to Vessel with additional safety measures in place,” said Jeff T. Blau, CEO of the structures owner, Related Companies.
Related built the honeycombed structure of intertwined stairways to nowhere as an attraction it hoped would become Hudson Yards answer to the Eiffel Tower following its opening in 2019.
“Vessel is an iconic New York City experience that was always designed to be entered and explored–there is overwhelming demand from the public to do that,” Blau said in a statement announcing the reopening. “Not a day goes by that we don’t have visitors walking up to our staff asking where they can buy tickets and when it will reopen—that interest hasn’t diminished during the time we’ve been closed.”
Unfortunately, the structure was attractive not only to tourists but to those with self-destructive impulses. Even before it was opened, Related had been warned the 150-foot height of Vessel and its low railings were an invitation to those with suicidal thoughts.
The warnings proved prescient. Four young people jumped to their deaths before Related closed the structure in 2021. There were calls for it to be permanently shuttered or even demolished.
“Oh well,” said Shilpa Kulkarni, mother of the last of the four who died at Vessel, Shiv Kulkarni, 14, when told Vessel was reopening. “They want to put the unfortunate past behind them and they have the luxury to do that since none of the kids who lost their lives were related to them. This structure and the development of this area has purely economic implications for them and they will continue to reap the benefits in spite of completely destroying multiple human lives.”
Kulkarni said that Related had never responded to requests from the families of the young people to create a memorial at the site or involve the families on suicide prevention and mental health projects.
“No, they didn’t,” Kulkarni said when asked if Related had ever contacted her or the other families.
Related worked with the designer of Vessel, Thomas Heatherwick, on the safety netting. “The steel mesh was designed to withstand the outdoor elements while not compromising Vessel’s iconic form and views,” said a spokesperson. The steel netting is nearly invisible from a distance.
The two lower levels are enshrouded and reopened, the company said, but only part of the upper levels are open. “On the upper levels, only the portions of Vessel that have been outfitted with floor-to-ceiling steel mesh have reopened,” the company explained.
“The structural integrity of the mesh that creates additional protection requires it be secured at both the top and bottom of each level of the existing structure,” the company added. “As this is not possible on the top level of Vessel, that level will remain closed to the public.”
Vessel will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and admission is by timed ticket, which cost $10 a person. They can be purchased on site or at vesselnyc.com, Related said.
New York City residents are admitted free on Thursday, the company said. Free tickets are only available online with proof of residence.