Hudson Yards’ Vessel Reopens With New Safety Measures
By Celia Young May 26, 2021 6:10 pm
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The Vessel, the spiral staircase sculpture at Hudson Yards, will reopen Friday after a shutdown following three suicides.
The 150-foot-tall structure’s reopening after four months of closure comes with a few safety measures to reduce the risk of suicide, The New York Post first reported.
Instead of installing taller glass barriers on the walkways, the measures call for guests to now climb the structure in groups of at least two. Security staff will be tripled and Hudson Yards owner Related Companies plans to add a sign with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline message at the entrance.
It also plans to add messaging developed with Lady Gaga’s nonprofit mental wellness organization, the Born This Way Foundation, printed on Vessel tickets. The landlord told the Post that the Vessel will also have enhanced screening procedures to “detect high-risk behaviors.”
Tickets, which were previously free, will now cost $10 after its first hour of opening for all visitors above five years old to pay for safety enhancements, according to the Post.
The Vessel, part of Related $25 billion Hudson Yards megadevelopment, closed in January after three suicides at the site, with the local community board pushing the developer to increase the heights of the barriers as a safety measure, The New York Times reported.
Related did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If you’re having thoughts of suicide, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HELLO to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
