Vessel

Vessel is a climbable sculpture of staircases, 150 feet high, at the heart of Hudson Yards on Manhattan's West Side. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio, it is made of 154 interconnected flights of stairs, about 2,500 steps and 80 landings, rising from a base 50 feet in diameter. Heatherwick Studio's 2017 announcement described it as a one-mile vertical climbing experience. The steelwork was fabricated by Cimolai in Monfalcone, Italy, and arrived in Manhattan in six shipments after 15 days at sea. Thomas Heatherwick called it “one of the most complex pieces of steelwork ever made” when the last of its 75 prefabricated pieces was fitted on 6 December 2017, eight months after construction began. The studio described the finished structure as a steel frame clad in polished copper-coloured material. 6sqft reported its cost as $200 million. Vessel opened on 15 March 2019, when, according to Hudson Yards, more than 1,000 people joined the opening. It was initially free to climb with a reservation. After a series of deaths at the structure, it was closed to the public and reopened on 21 October 2024 with steel mesh barriers enclosing its stairways and platforms. 6sqft reported that the top level was closed to the public, and Straight Arrow News said the top floor would remain closed indefinitely and that upper levels would reopen only where barriers had been installed. Time Out reported in February 2026 that Vessel was reopening for the season, with daily hours of 11 am to 7 pm. Today Vessel is run as a ticketed attraction. Its website offers general admission for a booked date and time and a flexible-arrival option, and the Hudson Yards site invites visitors to buy tickets. Hours and any closures change, so check vesselnyc.com before you go.