New York City’s Vessel closed to public after 3rd suicide

The Vessel is a 150-foot-high sculpture in the shape of an inverted beehive in the Hudson Yards development

Jan 14, 2021

The centerpiece sculpture at a massive development on Manhattan’s west side has been closed to the public, and the developer is looking at suicide prevention efforts after three deaths in the past year.

The Vessel, a 150-foot-high sculpture in the shape of an inverted beehive made up of stairways and platforms in the Hudson Yards development that opened in March 2019, has been the site of three suicides, the most recent of which was on Monday.

A view of The Vessel during A Magical Summer Night At Hudson Yards Celebrating The Lifestyle Of 35 Hudson Yards on June 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Related-Oxford)

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Related Companies was talking to psychiatrists and others about how to reduce the potential for future deaths.

Lowell Kern, the chairman of the local community board, told the Times that a Related representative told him the sculpture was closed until further notice, and that the board would be informed of preventative measures that would be taken before the Vessel was re-opened to the public.

The Vessel was created by British designer Thomas Heatherwick.

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