Vessel (structure)

{{Infobox building

| name = Vessel

| image = Hudson Yards Plaza March 2019 53.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Seen in March 2019, shortly after opening

| location_city = New York City

| location_country = United States

| map_type =

| map_caption = Location within New York City

|coordinates = {{coord|40.7538|-74.0022|type:landmark_dim:5000|display=inline,title}}

| groundbreaking_date = {{start date and age|2017|04}}

| topped_out_date = {{start date and age|2017|12}}

| opened_date = {{start date and age|2019|03|15}} again on {{start date and age|2024|10|28}}

| closing_date = {{end date and age|2021|07|29}}

| cost = US$75–200 million

| height = {{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}

| floor_count = 16

| status = Open

| architect = Thomas Heatherwick

| architecture_firm = Heatherwick Studio

| structural_engineer = Thornton Tomasetti (Engineer Of Record) and AKT II (Design Engineer)

| general_contractor = AECOM Tishman

| website = {{URL|https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/vessel/}}

| references =

| footnotes =

}}

Vessel is a structure and visitor attraction built as part of Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built to plans by the British designer Thomas Heatherwick, the elaborate honeycomb-like structure rises 150 feet and consists of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb. Vessel is the main feature of the {{convert|5|acre|ha|adj=on}} Hudson Yards Public Square. Funded by Hudson Yards developer Related Companies, its final cost is estimated to have been $200 million.

The concept of Vessel was unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016. Construction began in April 2017, with the pieces being manufactured in Italy and shipped to the United States. Vessel topped out in December 2017 with the installation of its highest piece, and it opened to the public on March 15, 2019. Upon its opening, Vessel received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its prominent placement within Hudson Yards, and others deriding the structure as extravagant. Vessel was also initially criticized for its restrictive copyright policy regarding photographs of the structure, as well as its lack of accessibility for disabled visitors, although both issues were subsequently addressed.

In January 2021, following three suicides at Vessel, it was closed to the public indefinitely. Vessel reopened in May 2021, then indefinitely closed again after another suicide two months later. It reopened in October 2024 following the installation of more safety barriers.

Description

= Structure =

File:HudsonYards 05-06-19-1 (47003439824).jpg

Vessel is a 16-story, {{convert|150|ft|m|0|adj=mid|-tall}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/arts/design/hudson-yards-vessel-instagram.html|title=Following Outcry, Hudson Yards Tweaks Policy Over Use of Vessel Pictures|last=Deb|first=Sopan|date=March 19, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 20, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} structure of connected staircases among the buildings of Hudson Yards, located in the {{convert|5|acre|ha|adj=on}} Hudson Yards Public Square.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/arts/design/hudson-yards-own-social-climbing-stairway.html |title=A $150 Million Stairway to Nowhere on the Far West Side |last=Loos |first=Ted |date=September 14, 2016 |work=The New York Times|access-date=May 16, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}} Designed by Thomas Heatherwick,{{cite web |url=http://therealdeal.com/2016/09/14/stairway-to-hudson-related-unveils-150m-sculpture/ |title=Stairway to Hudson: Related unveils $150M sculpture |last=Bockmann |first=Rich |date=September 14, 2016 |website=The Real Deal New York|access-date=September 14, 2016}} Vessel has 154 flights, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings, with the total length of the stairs exceeding {{convert|1|mi}}.{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2016/09/14/stephen-ross-eiffel-tower-hudson-yards/ |title=This Monument Could Be Manhattan's Answer to the Eiffel Tower |last=Tully |first=Shawn |date=September 14, 2016 |website=Fortune |access-date=November 10, 2016}} The copper-clad steps, arranged like a jungle gym and modeled after Indian stepwells,{{cite web|url=http://www.designboom.com/architecture/thomas-heatherwick-vessel-hudson-yards-new-york-09-14-2016/|title=thomas heatherwick unveils 'vessel' for NY's hudson yards|last=Azzarello|first=Nina|date=September 14, 2016|website=designboom|access-date=November 10, 2016}} can hold 1,000 people at a time. The structure also has ramps and an elevator to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), though only three of Vessel's landings are ADA-accessible {{As of|2019||df=|alt=as of 2019}}.{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2019/12/23/hudson-yards-vessel-strikes-accessibility-deal/|title=Hudson Yards' Vessel strikes accessibility deal|last1=DeGregory|first1=Priscilla|last2=Fitz-Gibbon|first2=Jorge|date=December 23, 2019|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=December 27, 2019}}

Vessel is {{convert|50|ft|m}} wide at its base, expanding to {{convert|150|ft|m}} at the apex. Stephen Ross, the CEO of Hudson Yards' developer Related Companies, said that its unusual shape was intended to make the structure stand out like a "12-month Christmas tree". Heatherwick said that he intends visitors to climb and explore the structure as if it were a jungle gym.{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/15/design/heatherwick-nyc-vessel/index.html |title=Could this be New York's Eiffel Tower? |last=Ap |first=Tiffany |date=September 15, 2016 |website=CNN |access-date=November 10, 2016}} At the top of the structure, visitors can see the Hudson River.

=Surroundings=

Vessel is located in and was designed in concert with the Hudson Yards Public Square, designed by Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.{{Cite web |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2013/10/29/10182108/british-artist-will-create-a-new-icon-for-nyc-in-hudson-yards |title=British Artist Will Create A 'New Icon' For NYC In Hudson Yards |date=October 29, 2013 |website=Curbed NY|access-date=May 16, 2017}} The {{convert|5|acre|0|adj=on}} space hosts 28,000 plants and 225 trees in total.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/nyregion/a-garden-will-grow-with-fans-concrete-coolant-and-28000-plants.html?_r=0 |title=A Garden Will Grow With Fans, Concrete, Coolant and 28,000 Plants |date=July 22, 2015 |last1=Dunlap |first1=David W. |website=The New York Times |access-date=July 22, 2015}} A canopy of trees is located in the southern area of the plaza. The southeast entrance to the plaza also includes a fountain. A "seasonally expressive" garden stands across from Vessel outside the entrance to the New York City Subway's 34th Street–Hudson Yards station.{{cite web | title=Progress Report: Hudson Yards | website=Chelsea Now | date=January 29, 2015 | url=http://chelseanow.com/2015/01/progress-report-hudson-yards/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208020014/http://chelseanow.com/2015/01/progress-report-hudson-yards/ | archive-date=February 8, 2015 | url-status=unfit | access-date=February 2, 2020}} The plaza is also connected to the High Line, an elevated promenade that extends south of Hudson Yards.{{cite web |url=http://ny.curbed.com/2016/9/14/12915700/hudson-yards-new-york-thomas-heatherwick-sculpture-design |title=First look at Hudson Yards's enormous, interactive 'public landmark' |last=Plitt |first=Amy |date=September 14, 2016 |website=Curbed NY |access-date=November 10, 2016}}

= Cost and assembly =

Although Vessel had originally been slated to cost $75 million, the projections were later revised to between $150 and $200 million. Heatherwick attributed the greatly increased price tag to the complexity of building the steel pieces. The pieces of Vessel were assembled in the comune of Monfalcone in Italy. Ships transported the sections of the sculpture to Hudson River docks.

= Name =

"Vessel" was planned to be the structure's temporary name during construction, with a permanent name to be determined later. After Vessel opened, Hudson Yards asked the public to give it a formal name, creating a website devoted to that effect.{{cite web | last=Yakas | first=Ben | title=You Can Suggest A New Name For Hudson Yards' 'Vessel' | website=Gothamist | date=March 21, 2019 | url=http://gothamist.com/2019/03/21/vessel_name.php | access-date=April 7, 2019}}

History

File:Hudson Yards May 2017 40 (cropped).jpg

In an interview with Fortune magazine, Ross said that he "wanted to commission something transformational, monumental", which led to the concept for Vessel. Ross was looking to five unnamed artists who were renowned for designing similar plazas, then asked them for in-depth proposals. He rejected all of the plans, at which point a colleague introduced Ross to Heatherwick. Six weeks after they talked, Ross accepted Heatherwick's proposal immediately because it "had everything I wanted". In an interview with designboom, Heatherwick said that his design for Vessel originated from a childhood experience when he "fell in love with an old discarded flight of wooden stairs outside a local building site". The media first reported Heatherwick's commissioning in October 2013.{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-headline-available-1382998051 |title=Aiming for an Artistic 'Icon' |last1=Maloney |first1=Jennifer |date=October 29, 2013 |work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=May 16, 2017 |last2=Brown |first2=Eliot |issn=0099-9660}}

The concept of Vessel was unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016, in an event attended by hundreds of people including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Hosted by Anderson Cooper, the event featured a performance from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that evoked the interlocking design of Vessel{{'s}} staircases.

In April 2017, the first major piece of the sculpture was installed at Hudson Yards.{{Cite web |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/4/18/15342762/hudson-yards-construction-photos-manhattan-megaproject |title=Go inside Hudson Yards as its 'Vessel' gets its groundbreaking |last=Plitt |first=Amy |date=April 18, 2017 |website=Curbed NY|access-date=May 16, 2017}} Construction started on April 18{{Cite web |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/04/18/hudson-yards-vessel-construction/ |title=Construction To Begin On Hudson Yards 'Vessel' |date=April 18, 2017 |website=CBS New York|access-date=May 16, 2017}} with the installation of the first 10 pieces of the 75-piece structure.{{Cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/hudson-yards-sculpture-centerpiece-vessel-2017-4/#the-sculpture-will-widen-from-50-feet-across-at-its-base-to-150-feet-at-its-top-mirroring-the-appearance-of-a-hive-or-tornado-once-its-full-of-climbing-visitors-and-tourists-the-fullness-and-movement-will-add-to-that-motion-filled-aesthetic-2 |title=The biggest real estate development in American history will have a 15-story maze of stairwells |last1=Varinsky |first1=Dana |date=April 18, 2017 |work=Business Insider|access-date=May 16, 2017 |last2=Garfield |first2=Leanna |language=en}} It was projected for completion in the spring of 2019,{{Cite news |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/8/17/16162882/hudson-yards-vessel-construction-update |title=Hudson Yards's $200M 'Vessel' is on the rise |last=Warerkar |first=Tanay |date=August 17, 2017 |work=Curbed NY|access-date=September 22, 2017}} with the other 65 pieces arriving in five batches.{{cite web |last=Silva |first=Bianca |title=Ten by Sea: Vessel's Vital Components Arrive at Hudson Yards |website=Chelsea Now |date=April 19, 2017 |url=http://chelseanow.com/2017/04/ten-by-sea-vessels-vital-components-arrive-at-hudson-yards/ |access-date=May 19, 2017}} The structure topped out in December 2017.{{Cite news |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/12/6/16742336/hudson-yards-vessel-construction-top-out |title=Thomas Heatherwick's 'Vessel' tops out in Hudson Yards |last=Warerkar |first=Tanay |date=December 6, 2017 |work=Curbed NY|access-date=December 9, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.archdaily.com/885092/heatherwicks-copper-vessel-tops-out-at-new-yorks-hudson-yards |title=Heatherwick's Copper 'Vessel' Tops Out at New York's Hudson Yards |last=Lynch |first=Patrick |date=December 7, 2017 |work=ArchDaily|access-date=December 9, 2017 |language=en-US}} In October 2018, it was announced that the opening of Vessel had been scheduled for March 15, 2019, and that tickets to enter the structure would become available in February.{{cite web | last=Walker | first=Ameena | title=Tracking the biggest buildings taking shape at Hudson Yards | website=Curbed NY | date=April 4, 2018 | url=https://ny.curbed.com/2018/4/4/17115600/hudson-yards-construction-timeline-building-status-nyc | access-date=November 25, 2018}} By January 2019, Hudson Yards officials were soliciting public suggestions for a rename of Vessel. Though the structure had no official name, the Hudson Yards website called it the "Hudson Yards Staircase".{{cite web | last=Cohen | first=Michelle | title=Thomas Heatherwick's Hudson Yards sculpture awaits public opinion for official name | website=6sqft | date=January 25, 2019| url=https://www.6sqft.com/thomas-heatherwicks-hudson-yards-sculpture-awaits-public-opinion-for-official-name/ | access-date=January 26, 2019}} Vessel opened as scheduled on March 15, 2019.{{cite web | title=Vessel, the maze-like vertical structure, opens in NYC's Hudson Yards |first=Micki |last=Fahner | website=NBC News | date=March 16, 2019 | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/vessel-maze-vertical-structure-opens-nyc-s-hudson-yards-n983866 | access-date=February 2, 2020}}{{cite web | title=Highly-Anticipated Hudson Yards Development Officially Opens To The Public | website=CBS New York | date=March 15, 2019 | url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/03/15/hudson-yards-grand-opening/ | access-date=March 23, 2019}}

Hudson Yards initially claimed to own any photo taken of Vessel. This drew criticism, not least because the developers had been given $4.5 billion of public money,{{Cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2018/10/11/hudson_yards_nyc_taxes.php|title=Hudson Yards Has $4.5 Billion In Taxpayer Money. Will We Ever See It Again?|last=deMause|first=Neil|website=Gothamist| date=October 11, 2018 |access-date=March 20, 2019}} and Hudson Yards quickly stopped claiming to own others' photos of Vessel.{{cite news |last1=Yakas |first1=Ben |title=Vessel Changes Terms & Conditions After Extreme Photo Policy Controversy, Lawyers Still Find It 'Troubling' |url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/vessel-changes-terms-conditions-after-extreme-photo-policy-controversy-lawyers-still-find-it-troubling |access-date=January 20, 2021 |work=Gothamist |publisher=New York Public Radio |date=March 20, 2019 |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-18/after-public-outcry-a-re-written-photo-policy-for-hudson-yards-vessel|title=After Public Outcry, a Rewritten Photo Policy for Hudson Yards' 'Vessel'|last=Tarny|first=James|date=March 18, 2019|website=Bloomberg|access-date=March 20, 2019}}

= Suicides =

On February 1, 2020, a 19-year-old man jumped from the sixth floor of the structure and died, apparently the first such incident involving Vessel.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/teen-jumps-to-his-death-from-hudson-yards-sculpture-the-vessel-as-onlookers-watch|title=Teen Jumps to His Death From Manhattan Sculpture as Onlookers Watch|last=Quinn|first=Allison|date=February 2, 2020|website=The Daily Beast|language=en|access-date=February 2, 2020}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-teen-dies-hudson-yards-20200202-qu2phqxrazc7fcushr3ay2zhum-story.html|title=Teen leaps to death off Hudson Yards Vessel|last=Parnell|first=Wes|date=February 2, 2020|website=New York Daily News|access-date=February 2, 2020}}{{Cite news|last1=Syckle|first1=Katie Van|last2=Salcedo|first2=Andrea|date=February 2, 2020|title=Suicide at Hudson Yards Vessel: Teenager Jumps Over Railing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/nyregion/hudson-yards-death-suicide.html|access-date=December 26, 2020|issn=0362-4331}} On December 22, 2020, a 24-year-old woman jumped from the top of the structure and also died.{{Cite web|last=Garber|first=Nick|date=December 22, 2020|title=Woman Jumps To Her Death From Hudson Yards' Vessel|url=https://patch.com/new-york/midtown-nyc/woman-jumps-her-death-hudson-yards|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=Patch|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Levine|first=Cecilia|date=December 25, 2020|title=NYC Woman Follows Fatal Leap From Hudson Yards Vessel With Heartbreaking Instagram Post|url=https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/hudson/news/nyc-woman-follows-fatal-leap-from-hudson-yards-vessel-with-heartbreaking-instagram-post/800378/|access-date=December 26, 2020|website=Hudson Daily Voice|language=en}} Less than a month later, on January 11, 2021, a 21-year-old man jumped from Vessel.{{Cite web|last=Rayman|first=Graham|date=January 11, 2021|title=Man, 21, jumps to death from the Vessel at Manhattan's Hudson Yards|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-man-jumps-vessel-hudson-yards-20210111-rremnfxw6zdvbc2doie3k3eedy-story.html|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=New York Daily News}}{{Cite web|last1=Moore|first1=Tina|last2=Mongelli|first2=Lorena|last3=McCarthy|first3=Craig|date=January 11, 2021|title=Another suicide rocks the Hudson Yards Vessel|url=https://nypost.com/2021/01/11/man-in-critical-condition-after-leaping-from-vessel-in-hudson-yards/|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US}} Following this third death, the structure was indefinitely closed while the Related Companies consulted with experts on a strategy to prevent suicides.{{Cite news|last1=Shanahan|first1=Ed|last2=de Freytas-Tamura|first2=Kimiko|date=January 12, 2021|title=150-Foot Vessel Sculpture at Hudson Yards Closes After 3rd Suicide|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/nyregion/hudson-yards-suicide-vessel.html|access-date=January 13, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|last=Stoilas|first=Helen|date=January 12, 2021|title=Heatherwick's Vessel closed to the public after third suicide in less than a year|url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/heatherwick-s-vessel-closed-to-the-public-after-third-suicide-in-less-than-a-year|access-date=January 13, 2021|website=The Art Newspaper}} Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods hired a suicide prevention expert, who suggested adding netting or raising the glass barriers. However, no changes were ultimately made to the barriers.{{cite web | title=Teen Boy Dies by Suicide at Hudson Yards' Vessel, Fourth in 18 Months | website=NBC New York | date=July 29, 2021 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/teen-boy-dies-by-suicide-at-hudson-yards-vessel-fourth-in-18-months/3185480/ | access-date=July 30, 2021}}

Vessel was reopened at the end of May 2021, but all visitors were required to be accompanied by at least one other person. In addition, after the first hour of each day, all visitors older than five years old had to pay $10 for a ticket.{{cite web|date=May 26, 2021|title=Hudson Yards Vessel reopens with focus on suicide prevention|url=https://abc7ny.com/10695409/|access-date=May 26, 2021|website=ABC7 New York}}{{Cite web|last=Cuozzo|first=Steve|date=May 26, 2021|title=Hudson Yards Vessel bans individual visitors after rash of suicides|url=https://nypost.com/2021/05/25/vessel-set-to-reopen-with-no-single-visitors-allowed-after-suicides/|access-date=May 26, 2021|website=New York Post|language=en-US}} Revenue from ticket sales was to fund safety upgrades. Two months later, on July 29, 2021, a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death while he was with his family.{{Cite news|last1=Wong|first1=Ashley|last2=Gold|first2=Michael|date=July 29, 2021|title=Fourth Suicide at the Vessel Leads to Calls for Higher Barriers|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/nyregion/vessel-suicide-hudson-yards.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web | last1=Parascandola | first1=Rocco | last2=Tracy | first2=Thomas | title=Teenager jumps to his death from the Vessel at NYC's Hudson Yards | website=New York Daily News | date=July 29, 2021 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-teen-boy-jumps-from-vessel-hudson-yards-20210729-5cznrex6undmhahhyvlilv2izu-story.html | access-date=July 30, 2021}} After this fourth death, Vessel was again closed indefinitely. Stephen Ross said he was considering closing the structure permanently.{{Cite news|last=Kirsch|first=Noah|date=July 29, 2021|title=Billionaire Developer Mulls Closing NYC Tourist Hot Spot After 14-Year-Old Leaps to His Death|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/billionaire-developer-stephen-ross-mulls-closing-nyc-hot-spot-the-vessel-after-14-year-old-leaps-to-his-death|access-date=July 30, 2021}}{{cite web |last1=Avery |first1=Dan |title=Can New York City's 'Vessel' Be Saved? |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/heatherwick-vessel-saved#intcid=_mtp-online-exp-A2_edb49a8a-0c2b-4b77-bff8-40ed74fcb123_text2vec1 |website=Architectural Digest |access-date=August 11, 2021 |date=August 5, 2021}} By August 2022, Hudson Yards officials were testing safety nets around Vessel in preparation for the structure's possible reopening.{{cite web | title=Hudson Yards testing safety netting at shuttered 'Vessel' after suicides | website=ABC7 New York | date=August 9, 2022 | url=https://abc7ny.com/the-vessel-hudson-yards-suicides-reopens/12112171/ | access-date=September 18, 2022}} After full-height steel mesh nets were installed on each level, news media reported in early 2024 that Vessel would reopen later that year, though the top level would remain closed.{{cite web | last=Jose | first=Chris | title=The Vessel at Hudson Yards is set to reopen, but with safety changes after suicides | website=NBC New York | date=April 12, 2024 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/vessel-hudson-yards-reopen-with-safety-changes-after-suicides/5315477/ | access-date=April 13, 2024}}{{cite web | last=Offenhartz | first=Jake | title=The Vessel, a Manhattan tourist site closed after suicides, will reopen later this year | website=AP News | date=April 12, 2024 | url=https://apnews.com/article/vessel-hudson-yards-7bb0e54869e1918a84631989b55c159b | access-date=April 13, 2024}} On October 21, 2024, Vessel reopened;{{cite web |date=October 20, 2024 |title=The Vessel, a Manhattan tourist site closed after suicides, reopens with new safety features |url=https://apnews.com/article/vessel-hudson-yards-new-york-ab9b02282754db2d3d308fd87df54ecd |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=AP News}} initially, only the lowest two levels and parts of the upper levels were open to the public.{{cite web |last=Glorioso |first=Chris |date=October 20, 2024 |title=The Vessel at Hudson Yards to reopen Monday with new safety measures |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/manhattan/vessel-hudson-yards-reopens-monday/5903950/ |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=NBC New York}}

Critical reception

File:Aerial View of The Vessel at Hudson Yards, New York City.webm

The sculpture has received both acclaim and criticism. Fortune writer Shawn Tully called Vessel "Manhattan's answer to the Eiffel Tower", a sentiment echoed by CNN reporter Tiffany Ap. Elle Decor writer Kelsey Kloss compared Vessel to an M. C. Escher drawing.{{Cite news |url=http://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/travel/news/a9073/new-york-city-landmark/ |title=New York City's Future Landmark Is a Real-Life M.C. Escher Drawing |last=Kloss |first=Kelsey |date=September 15, 2016 |work=ELLE Decor|access-date=May 16, 2017 |language=en}} Several commentators have referred to the structure as the Giant Shawarma.{{cite web | last=Grabar | first=Henry | title=New Yorkers Are Right: Hudson Yards' Big Tourist Attraction Should Forever Be Called the Shawarma | website=Slate Magazine | date=March 19, 2019 | url=https://slate.com/business/2019/03/shawarma-hudson-yards-vessel-new-york-meat.html | access-date=March 20, 2019}}{{cite web | last=Alburger | first=Carolyn | title=Hudson Yards $200M Art Piece Looks Like a Giant Shawarma | website=Eater NY | date=March 15, 2019 | url=https://ny.eater.com/2019/3/15/18265718/hudson-yards-vessel-shawarma | access-date=March 20, 2019}} Speaking about the structure's design process, Heatherwick said, "We had to think of what could act as the role of a landmarker. Something that could help give character and particularity to the space."{{cite web|url=http://www.archdaily.com/795336/heatherwick-studios-vessel-will-take-the-form-of-an-endless-stairway-at-new-yorks-hudson-yards|title=Heatherwick Studio's "Vessel" Will Take the Form of an Endless Stairway at New York's Hudson Yards|last=Lynch|first=Patrick|date=September 15, 2016|website=ArchDaily|access-date=November 10, 2016}}

Ted Loos of The New York Times said the sculpture, while a "stairway to nowhere" in the utilitarian sense, served as an "exclamation point" to the northern terminus of the High Line. David Colon of Gothamist called Vessel "a bold addition to the city's landscape".{{cite web|url=http://gothamist.com/2016/09/14/hudson_yards_vessel_whoa.php#photo-1|title=Behold The Giant $150 Million Public Art 'Vessel' Coming To Hudson Yards|last=Colon|first=David|date=September 14, 2016|website=Gothamist|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025134602/http://gothamist.com/2016/09/14/hudson_yards_vessel_whoa.php#photo-1|archive-date=October 25, 2016|access-date=November 10, 2016}} Public Art Fund president Susan Freedman liked the renderings for Vessel but called it "a leap of faith in terms of scale". She said there might be too much demand for Vessel, especially considering the structure's proximity to the High Line.

Other critics panned Vessel. New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman called Vessel's exterior "gaudy" and criticized Hudson Yards more generally as a "gated community" that lacked real public space.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/14/arts/design/hudson-yards-nyc.html|title=Hudson Yards Is Manhattan's Biggest, Newest, Slickest Gated Community. Is This the Neighborhood New York Deserves?|last=Kimmelman|first=Michael|date=March 14, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 20, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} CityLab{{'}}s Feargus O'Sullivan called Vessel, along with Heatherwick's other numerous billionaire-funded developments and architectural projects, "a gaudy monument to being only ever-so-slightly free."{{Cite news|url=https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/03/thomas-heatherwick-vessel-pier-55-nyc-hudson-yards-design/585244/|title=Cities Deserve Better Than These Thomas Heatherwick Gimmicks|last=O'Sullivan|first=Feargus|date=March 19, 2019|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|language=en|access-date=March 20, 2019}} Some called it a "piece of junk" and an "eyesore", and contrasted it negatively to Cloud Gate, also known as the Bean, in Millennium Park, Chicago.{{cite web | title=Chicago has the Bean. New York has a new piece of junk called the "Vessel" | website=ChicagoNow | last=Griffin | first=Tron | date=April 1, 2019 | url=http://www.chicagonow.com/keeping-an-eye-out/2019/04/chicago-has-the-bean-new-york-has-a-new-piece-of-junk-called-the-vessel/ | access-date=August 29, 2019 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829231827/http://www.chicagonow.com/keeping-an-eye-out/2019/04/chicago-has-the-bean-new-york-has-a-new-piece-of-junk-called-the-vessel/ |archive-date=August 29, 2019}} Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune called it "willful and contrived".{{Cite tweet|last=Kamin|first=Blair|author-link=Blair Kamin|user=BlairKamin|number=1106589222578868230|title=The Vessel ain't the Bean, not by a long shot. The Bean looks graceful, effortless; its New York counterpart, willful and contrived.|date=March 15, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}}

Vessel was initially largely inaccessible for wheelchair users. It consisted mainly of stairs, with only a single elevator to connect one of the sets of landings,{{cite web|last=Lange|first=Alexandra|date=December 20, 2019|title=New York City's two biggest design stories of 2019 are also design failures|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/12/20/21020969/hudson-yards-hunters-point-library-design|access-date=December 27, 2019|website=Curbed NY}}{{Cite journal |last=Gotkin |first=Kevin |date=September 2018 |issue=33 |journal=The Avery Review |title=Stair Worship: Heatherwick's Vessel |url=https://www.averyreview.com/issues/33/stair-worship |access-date=September 3, 2023 |language=en}} and drew protests from disability-rights groups outside the structure. To protest the inaccessibility of the structure, the artist Shannon Finnegan set up a lounge that could only be accessed by signing an agreement to not travel above the structure's ground level.{{cite web |date=December 17, 2019 |title=Shannon Finnegan and Aimi Hamraie on Accessibility as a Shared Responsibility |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/interviews/shannon-finnegan-aimi-hamraie-access-art-architecture-1202671288/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=ARTnews.com}} The United States Department of Justice filed a complaint alleging that because of the number of separate landings within Vessel, most of the structure was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, except for the portions directly outside the elevator. Furthermore, elevator stops on the fifth and seventh stories were sometimes skipped due to overcrowding concerns.{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2019/12/23/21035379/hudson-yards-new-york-vessel-accessibility-sdny|title=Hudson Yards' Vessel must add 'one-of-a-kind platform lift' to improve accessibility|last=Plitt|first=Amy|date=December 23, 2019|website=Curbed NY|access-date=December 27, 2019}} In December 2019, Related Companies and Vessel operator ERY Vessel LLC reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to increase accessibility to the structure by adding wheelchair lifts and retaining elevator access to all levels.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/one-of-a-kind-mechanism-to-be-installed-in-the-vessel-to-increase-accessibility-for-individuals-with-disabilities/2248279/|title=One-of-a-Kind Mechanism to Be Installed in the Vessel to Increase Accessibility for Individuals With Disabilities|date=December 23, 2019|website=NBC New York|access-date=December 27, 2019}}

Gallery

File:Hudson Yards Plaza March 2019 27.jpg|Entrance

File:The Vessel, Hudson Yards, New York City, June 2019.jpg|View from inside

File:Vessel top vc.png|View from the top

File:Hudson Yards Vessel IMG 3553 HLG.jpg|Aerial view

File:The Vessel (top-down view), Hudson Yards, New York City, July 2019.jpg|Top-down view

File:The Vessel at Night 2021.jpg|Vessel at night during the 2021 holiday season

References

External links

{{official website|https://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/vessel/}}
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy4Sg6cWGgc The Vessel; Thomas Heatherwick's Oversized public art structure on CBS Sunday Morning]

Category:2019 establishments in New York City

Category:2010s in Manhattan

Category:Buildings and structures completed in 2019

Category:Buildings and structures in Manhattan

Category:Hudson Yards, Manhattan

Category:Outdoor sculptures in Manhattan

Category:Stairways in the United States

Category:Thomas Heatherwick

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Category:Towers in New York (state)