Editor’s Note: The following story contains mentions of self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Manhattan’s “Vessel” — a 150-foot-tall (~46-meter) reflective structure and tourist trap in Hudson Yards — is open again. The honeycomb-shaped fixture was closed for three years after four people died by suicide by jumping off the top.
Architects and community representatives have long advocated for increased security measures at the Vessel and even its permanent closure, voicing concerns over the site’s potential as a trigger for impulsive suicides, with its low railings, towering height, and public visibility.
The Vessel closed for nearly five months after a third person died by suicide in 2021, and reopened with a ban on solo visitors. Just two months later, a 14-year-old boy died by suicide, prompting the structure to close indefinitely.
Hudson Yards announced in April that it would reopen with “floor-to-ceiling” mesh caging that would enclose the structure’s exposed sections but still allow visitors to see views of New York City with relatively little obstruction. Earlier this year, the Golden Gate Bridge, an infamous location for suicide attempts, finalized a similar netting project spanning all 1.7 miles (~2.7 kilometers) of the transportation artery.
Vessel security officers at the entrance now check bags for sharp objects that could damage the mesh, which is soft to the touch.
On Tuesday, October 22, a day after the attraction reopened, tourists returned in swarms to climb and photograph the Vessel. After the security checkpoint, visitors had mostly free range inside. The netting covers only the front-facing pods beginning on the third floor, and no security guards were posted above ground level.
Sammy, a Bronx native who manages a property adjacent to the tourist spot and asked to be identified by first name only, visited the Vessel the day after it reopened and said he didn’t notice the mesh on the exterior.
“I know unfortunate things did happen, but to hold this beauty back from everyone else is a little unfortunate,” Sammy said. “I’m happy that it’s open.”
“I think they did a great job,” another local visitor, Cynthia, told Hyperallergic.
Others remain suspicious about the efficacy of the new measures in place.
In a Hyperallergic opinion piece in April, Brooklyn-based writer Charley Burlock wrote that the structure is “inevitably triggering to those who may be contemplating suicide.” On X this week, Burlock further argued that “suicide barriers work in part because they are visual affirmations that someone cares if you live or die.”
“The developer’s response to the deaths continues to communicate the opposite,” Burlock wrote.
The Vessel’s presence in the $25 billion Hudson Yards, the most expensive private development in United States history, was contentious from the outset. The $260 million structure, designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio, was initially panned as “gaudy” and inaccessible to visitors with disabilities. (The structure was later updated with a special platform lift.)
Calls for improved suicide prevention at the Vessel began much earlier than its 2021 closure. After the first death in early 2020, the Manhattan Community Board 4 authored a public letter to Related Companies urging the developer to “take steps to prevent another terrible loss of life.”
“When someone jumps to his death from a high place it is by nature a public act,” the letter reads. “[Related Companies] must consider all efforts to protect as best we can vulnerable citizens and visitors.”
