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Vessel is a 16-story, 150-foot-tall (46 m) structure of connected staircases in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square of Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the elaborate honeycomb-like structure consists of 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb. Funded by Hudson Yards developer Related Companies, its final cost was estimated at $200 million.
The concept of Vessel was publicly presented on September 14, 2016, with construction starting in April 2017, its pieces manufactured in Italy and shipped to the United States. Vessel topped out in December 2017 with the installation of its highest piece, and opened to the public on March 15, 2019. At the time of its opening, Vessel was noted for its sensitive siting within Hudson Yards with points of criticism focusing on its overall extravagance, restrictive copyright photography policy and lack of full accessibility, the latter two issues subsequently resolved.
In response to suicides at the Vessel and installations initially of netting and later glass barriers, the venue underwent a series of closings and reopenings, beginning with a closure January 2021, then an indefinite closing, a reopening in May 2021, and indefinite closure two months later — and a reopening in October 2024 following the installation of glass safety barriers.