The Vessel, the beehive-like centerpiece of Manhattan’s Hudson Yards and a popular tourist destination is expected to reopen later this year, a spokesperson for the development said, after a spate of suicides forced its closure in 2021.
The structure will reopen to the public with steel mesh barriers on most of its upper levels, encasing four stairwells and their adjoining platforms, according to Hudson Yards management. The top level will remain closed to the public, and the first two floors will be fully open.
The enclosures are designed to be cut-proof and weather-resistant, the spokesperson said.
The Vessel closed briefly in early 2021 after several people died from leaping off its upper floors following its opening in 2019. It reopened soon after with some added safety measures, including suicide prevention signs and additional security.
But it still lacked the barriers requested by local officials. Another suicide — a 14-year-old from New Jersey who appeared to jump from the edge of the structure — prompted the Vessel’s indefinite closure.
The Hudson Yards spokesperson did not provide a specific date for reopening.