91-600: Vessel is a structure and visitor attraction built as part of Hudson Yards in Manhattan , New York City , New York . Built to plans by the British designer Thomas Heatherwick , the elaborate honeycomb -like structure rises 16 stories and consists of 154 flights of stairs , 2,500 steps, and 80 landings for visitors to climb. Vessel is the main feature of the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square. Funded by Hudson Yards developer Related Companies , its final cost
182-575: A jungle gym and modeled after Indian stepwells , can hold 1,000 people at a time. The structure also has ramps and an elevator to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), though only three of Vessel's landings are ADA-accessible as of 2019. Vessel is 50 feet (15 m) wide at its base, expanding to 150 feet (46 m) at the apex. Stephen Ross , the CEO of Hudson Yards' developer Related Companies , said that its unusual shape
273-617: A "piece of junk" and an "eyesore", and contrasted it negatively to Cloud Gate , also known as the Bean, in Millennium Park , Chicago . Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune called it "willful and contrived". Vessel was initially largely inaccessible for wheelchair users. It consisted mainly of stairs, with only a single elevator to connect one of the sets of landings, and drew protests from disability-rights groups outside
364-522: A $ 328 million tax exemption for 20 and 30 Hudson Yards, in addition to the previously approved $ 106 million exemption for 10 Hudson Yards. Shortly after, Related announced construction would begin on the platform covering the eastern railyards in January 2014 and cost $ 721 million. Construction on the platform began in March 2014 after Related secured a $ 250 million loan from Deutsche Bank . The erection of
455-495: A 19-year-old man jumped from the sixth floor of the structure and died, apparently the first such incident involving Vessel . On December 22, 2020, a 24-year-old woman jumped from the top of the structure and also died. Less than a month later, on January 11, 2021, a 21-year-old man jumped from Vessel . Following this third death, the structure was indefinitely closed while the Related Companies consulted with experts on
546-660: A 526-unit housing development in Hudson Yards at 451 10th Avenue. The building, also given the address 455 10th Avenue, includes a mix of "upscale urban senior living communities" and executive apartments. The senior living and executive apartments are respectively be marketed under the brands "The Coterie" and "The Set". Handel Architects designed 451 10th Avenue. In October 2021, Related purchased 99.9% stakes in three sites owned by Spitzer Enterprises at 511 West 35th Street, 506 West 36th Street, and 512 West 36th Street. Several developers and other entities proposed uses for
637-436: A diverse array of architects including Arquitectonica , Robert A. M. Stern , and Kohn Pedersen Fox. Proposed amenities included a school, winter garden , and 15.1 acres of open space. Related also secured a commitment from Rupert Murdoch 's News Corporation to move their headquarters into one of the new office towers at the development. However, News Corporation later pulled out of the deal which led Related to bid only on
728-470: A green card. The groundbreaking for 10 Hudson Yards , which was not built on the platform, occurred on December 4, 2012. At that event, the start of construction was also announced for 30 Hudson Yards . No tenants had been secured for any building in the complex when construction started on 10 Hudson Yards. However, three tenants— L'Oreal , Coach , and SAP —were announced in 2013. In October 2013, New York's Industrial Development Agency granted Related
819-483: A joint venture of Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group , which invested $ 400 million to build a platform above both the eastern and western portions of the yard on which to construct the buildings. In April 2013, the Related/Oxford joint venture obtained a $ 475 million construction loan from parties including Barry Sternlicht 's Starwood Capital Group and luxury retailer Coach . The financing deal
910-504: A lawsuit against Related. The suit alleges the company created a different address (553 West 30th Street) for 15 Hudson Yards' affordable units and that the tenants of those units would not have access to the same amenities as those in the market-rate units. The suit alleges the building does not have an actual " poor door " but does still segregate its tenants through a "poor address" and "poor floors". "Poor doors" were banned in 2015 by then New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio . The Shed
1001-522: A new stadium for the Yankees was proposed above the West Side Yard in 1993. A similar plan for a Yankee stadium above the West Side Yard was proposed in 1996, and was endorsed by mayor Rudy Giuliani . However, the plan also received opposition from many other public figures, and was also not built. By the early 2000s, plans for the rail yard long included a new Olympic stadium, to become
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#17327880222211092-475: A permanent name to be determined later. After Vessel opened, Hudson Yards asked the public to give it a formal name, creating a website devoted to that effect. In an interview with Fortune magazine, Ross said that he "wanted to commission something transformational, monumental", which led to the concept for Vessel . Ross was looking to five unnamed artists who were renowned for designing similar plazas, then asked them for in-depth proposals. He rejected all of
1183-502: A public plaza, the Vessel sculpture, and three residential skyscrapers on Eleventh Avenue. Developers plan to build Phase 2, the western portion of the development, above tracks between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues. Phase 2 will provide additional office and residential space. The 52-story, 895-foot (273 m) 10 Hudson Yards is located at Tenth Avenue and 30th Street, along the southeastern corner of Phase 1. It opened in 2016. Ground
1274-597: A range of furniture and design fairs, an exhibition format that it introduced in 2005 at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City, and which has since become an industry standard. In 2012, Designboom itself became a subject of media attention for its defense of Takeshi Miyakawa when the artist was arrested and held on Riker's Island for a controversial street installation in New York City. Miyakawa
1365-474: A real estate magnate in New York, has said "Related is leading the charge" among New York-based companies in employing non-union labor. Beginning in late 2017, unions working at the site alleged Related "continue[d] to look for deeper and deeper concessions" in their negotiations, and begin organizing a campaign referred to as "#CountMeIn". Related's push to change the site to an open shop would mostly affect
1456-445: A rename of Vessel . Though the structure had no official name, the Hudson Yards website called it the "Hudson Yards Staircase". Vessel opened as scheduled on March 15, 2019. Hudson Yards initially claimed to own any photo taken of Vessel . This drew criticism, not least because the developers had been given $ 4.5 billion of public money, and Hudson Yards quickly stopped claiming to own others' photos of Vessel . On February 1, 2020,
1547-581: A school and a 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m ) cultural facility. In December 2009, the New York City Council approved Related Companies' revised plan for Hudson Yards, and the western portion of the West Side Yard was rezoned. Following the rail yards' successful rezoning, the MTA signed another 99-year lease to the air rights over the rail yard in May 2010. The air rights were signed over to
1638-484: A stake in the building, which was sold back to Related toward the end of construction. Kohn Pedersen Fox designed the building. 15 Hudson Yards, originally proposed as Tower D, is located on Eleventh Avenue and West 30th Street, near Phase 1's southwestern corner. The building connects to a semi-permanent structure, a performance and arts space known as The Shed . 15 Hudson Yards started construction in December 2014,
1729-459: A strategy to prevent suicides. Residents of the surrounding neighborhoods hired a suicide prevention expert, who suggested adding netting or raising the glass barriers. However, no changes were ultimately made to the barriers. Vessel was reopened at the end of May 2021, but all visitors were required to be accompanied by at least one other person. In addition, after the first hour of each day, all visitors older than five years old had to pay $ 10 for
1820-429: A subterranean people mover system connecting the complex to Penn Station. Media company Condé Nast agreed to anchor the development by taking all 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m ) of office space in the largest office tower and move from their headquarters at Durst's 4 Times Square in 2015. Extell, in a master plan designed by Steven Holl , proposed 11 towers with just two featuring office space and
1911-412: A suspension deck over the rail yards similar to a suspension bridge rather than the truss structure every other developer proposed. Extell claimed this method would be more cost-effective but the suspension structure also would not have been strong enough to support large buildings. Due to this, all of Extell's proposed towers were clustered at the edges of the site in order to sit on solid ground while
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#17327880222212002-405: A ticket. Revenue from ticket sales was to fund safety upgrades. Two months later, on July 29, 2021, a 14-year-old boy jumped to his death while he was with his family. After this fourth death, Vessel was again closed indefinitely. Stephen Ross said he was considering closing the structure permanently. By August 2022, Hudson Yards officials were testing safety nets around Vessel in preparation for
2093-724: Is a 28-acre (11 ha) real estate development in the Hudson Yards neighborhood in Manhattan , New York City , between the Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods. It is located on the waterfront of the Hudson River . Upon completion, 13 of the 16 planned structures on the West Side of Midtown South would sit on a platform built over the West Side Yard , a storage yard for Long Island Rail Road trains (hence
2184-546: Is a ventilation area for the West Side Yards, as well as a storm water runoff site. Storm water that runs off into the square is reused throughout the development. Because it is located on top of an active rail yard, the public square is located over a 6-foot (1.8 m) deep plenum above a cooling slab with 15 fans blowing air at 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) and a 60,000-US-gallon (230,000 L; 50,000 imp gal) rainwater storage tank. The entire platform
2275-493: Is an arts center housed in the Bloomberg Building, a three-story structure adjacent to 15 Hudson Yards. The space is focused on providing cultural programming, and is maintained by an organization of the same name. Its most prominent feature is a retractable "shell" that wraps around its roof and its northern and southern facades. The Shed opened on April 5, 2019. The 103-story, 1,270 feet (387 m) 30 Hudson Yards
2366-672: Is estimated to have been $ 200 million. The concept of Vessel was unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016. Construction began in April 2017, with the pieces being manufactured in Italy and shipped to the United States. Vessel topped out in December 2017 with the installation of its highest piece, and it opened to the public on March 15, 2019. Upon its opening, Vessel received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its prominent placement within Hudson Yards, and others deriding
2457-462: Is located at Eleventh Avenue and 33rd Street. Construction on the building's foundation was started in January 2015, and it topped out in June 2018. 35 Hudson Yards opened on March 15, 2019. The mixed-use building contains 137 condominiums, an Equinox brand hotel, an Equinox brand gym, medical offices, and retail space. David Childs , the chairman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill , contributed
2548-488: Is located at Tenth Avenue and 33rd Street. It is the city's sixth-tallest building. Construction began after caissons were sunk to support the platform over the tracks, the latter of which was raised 12 to 27 feet (4 to 8 m) above ground level, at the same elevation as the High Line. 30 Hudson Yards opened on March 15, 2019. An observation deck on the building's 100th floor opened in March 2020. 35 Hudson Yards
2639-563: Is located in the southern area of the plaza. The southeast entrance to the plaza also includes a fountain. A "seasonally expressive" garden stands across from Vessel outside the entrance to the New York City Subway 's 34th Street–Hudson Yards station . The plaza is also connected to the High Line , an elevated promenade that extends south of Hudson Yards. Although Vessel had originally been slated to cost $ 75 million,
2730-409: Is supported by 234 caissons . The plantings are rooted within "smart soil". The plaza opened along with the mall on March 15, 2019. Vessel , a permanent art installation designed by Thomas Heatherwick , is located at the center of the plaza. The installation, a 16-story freestanding structure of connected staircases, cost US$ 150 million. Heatherwick took inspiration from Indian step wells in
2821-663: The Architonic / ArchDaily group (owned by the Swiss media group NZZ ). In February 2023, Sofia Lekka Angelopoulou replaced Birgit Lohmann as editor-in-chief of designboom. Designboom features interviews and firsthand studio visits of renowned designers and architects, in addition to coverage of international design fairs and new projects. Newsletters are published daily. Designboom runs several international design competitions each year, in partnership with large companies. In addition, Designboom hosts young designers "marts" at
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2912-542: The Children's Museum of Manhattan . Durst and Vornado hired FXCollaborative and César Pelli to design a development named "Hudson Center" which would have included 13 towers ranging from 250 feet (76 m) to 1,200 feet (370 m) tall. The development would be split between 6 million square feet (560,000 m ) of office space and 6,500 residential units, 600 of which would have been affordable. The developers also would have included 12 acres of open space and
3003-578: The Durst Organization , and the Related Companies . Brookfield's Skidmore, Owings and Merrill -designed master plan known as "Hudson Place" and "Hudson Green" proposed constructing 15 towers (four office and 11 residential/hotel) that would range in height from 300 feet (91 m) to 1,280 feet (390 m). The buildings would include 7.4 million square feet (690,000 m ) of office space and 4,000 residential units, including 400 devoted to affordable housing. "Hudson Place" encompassed
3094-545: The Eiffel Tower ", a sentiment echoed by CNN reporter Tiffany Ap. Elle Decor writer Kelsey Kloss compared Vessel to an M. C. Escher drawing. Several commentators have referred to the structure as the Giant Shawarma . Speaking about the structure's design process, Heatherwick said, "We had to think of what could act as the role of a landmarker. Something that could help give character and particularity to
3185-557: The New York City Council approved the 60-block rezoning, including the eastern portion of the West Side Yard. Michael Bloomberg , then the city's mayor, subsequently separated the city's broader rezoning plans from the rail yard stadium. In conjunction with the city, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a 12.7-million-square-foot (1,180,000 m ) mixed-use development to be built on platforms over
3276-429: The 101st floor of the same building, Peak, also opened on March 11 but closed the following day after a staff member contracted COVID-19. In April 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported that condominium sales had slowed due to the pandemic. The Journal also noted a downturn in retail rent collections at the development. This decline occurred in part due to unique contracts between Related and its tenants, which meant
3367-430: The MTA chose the Related Companies and Goldman Sachs to develop Hudson Yards under the same conditions. Related's revised plan included 13 buildings encompassing 12 million square feet of space including 2,154 rental apartments, 20% of which would be affordable. Other components included 2,619 condominiums, 5.5 million square feet (510,000 m ) of offices, a hotel, about 757,000 square feet (70,300 m ) of retail,
3458-673: The Shed, shopping center, and Vessel. In addition, neither the High Line nor the 34th Street station were completed at the time of their respective openings. A second entrance to the 34th Street station was opened in September 2018, while the High Line spur adjacent to 10 Hudson Yards opened in June 2019. Higher costs for materials and land after the 2008 recession have caused real estate companies to seek lower labor costs. In New York City non-union labor has made inroads, although workers tend to have less training and experience. Douglas Durst ,
3549-629: The West Side, originally dubbed "Hudson Residences," was under construction at the same time as Hudson Yards. The project consists of two residential buildings, one designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the other by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. 601 West 29th Street and 606 West 30th Street are under construction south of the two Related developments. Despite the involvement of two separate real estate companies, they are being developed together due to their proximity. In 2020, Spitzer Enterprises and Related Companies received $ 276 million in loans for
3640-576: The accompanying residential buildings varying between 400 feet (120 m) and 570 feet (170 m) tall. The company's bid was the most office-focused with plans featuring 10.6 million square feet (980,000 m ) of commercial space and 3,000 residential units. The proposed buildings would total over 12 million square feet (1,100,000 m ) of space with 13 acres of open space and also include 379 units of affordable housing. Investment bank Morgan Stanley would have occupied all 3 million square feet (280,000 m ) of office space in both
3731-514: The anchor tenant of the Hudson Yards Retail Space. The retail space, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and Elkus Manfredi Architects with a connection to the bases of 10 and 30 Hudson Yards, started construction in June 2015, with a 100,000-short-ton (91,000,000 kg) order of steel, one of the largest such orders in the history of the United States. The mall opened on March 15, 2019. The Neiman Marcus store occupied
Vessel (structure) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-625: The build, construction emphasized the use of concrete over steel. Two architectural firms, Kohn Pederson Fox and Roche Dinkeloo, were involved in the design of the building, which is the first collaborative effort between the two firms. Phase 1 also included a seven-story mall with 100 shops and 20 restaurants, called the Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards. It has 1 million square feet (93,000 m ) of space, including 750,000 square feet (70,000 m ) in retail, including department stores. In September 2014, Neiman Marcus signed to become
3913-459: The building, which will rank as the fourth largest office tower in New York City in terms of available leaseable area when completed, with 2.9 million square feet (270,000 m ) available to lease. Along with 55 Hudson Yards, it is one of two structures in the first phase not located above the rail yard. Mitsui Fudosan owns a 90 percent stake in the building, while Bank of China , Deutsche Bank , and Wells Fargo contributed financing for
4004-510: The center of Hudson Yards' public plaza, was unveiled to the public in September 2016. The pieces of Vessel were fabricated off-site and were brought to Hudson Yards for assembly starting in April 2017. Work on the final building in the first phase, 50 Hudson Yards, began in May 2018. 55 Hudson Yards topped out in August 2017, while 15, 30, and 35 Hudson Yards all topped out in 2018. All four structures were opened on March 14, 2019, as were
4095-515: The city and the MTA backed out of a plan for the city to purchase the development site, and created a proposal to seek bids from private developers. This was followed by a formal request for proposals in 2008 with the intention of creating a large-scale mixed-use development above the rail yards. Five developers responded to the RFP: Extell Development Company , Tishman Speyer , Brookfield , Vornado Realty Trust with
4186-534: The completion of the 34th Street subway station, the station opened the following September. However, the first building in the complex, 10 Hudson Yards, did not open until May 31, 2016. Groundbreaking occurred for 15 Hudson Yards in December 2014, and work on 35 Hudson Yards and 55 Hudson Yards both started the following month. Construction on The Shed , adjacent to 15 Hudson Yards, began in mid-2015 after its pilings were completed. A 16-story, honeycomb -shaped structure with stairwells named Vessel , in
4277-578: The deal, given that large-scale speculative real estate projects were not an asset class that institutional investors and lenders took an interest in at the time. The administration of Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. released a $ 670 million development plan in 1963, which was ultimately never realized. In the 1980s, both the Jets and the Yankees proposed new stadiums above the rails, though none of these projects succeeded. Another ultimately unsuccessful plan for
4368-530: The deck itself would hold only the proposal's open spaces and park. Other unique aspects included a central reservoir to collect stormwater, a geothermal cooling system, and cogeneration which together would reduce energy use by almost 50%. Writing in The Wall Street Journal , Ada Louise Huxtable praised the proposal, writing that it "could have the unity, character and potential beauty of a Rockefeller Center ." The New York Times added to
4459-458: The design. Stephen M. Ross has compared the structure to the Eiffel Tower , and it has also been informally dubbed The Shawarma . Vessel opened on March 15, 2019. After three suicides at the Vessel, Related closed the structure temporarily in January 2021. Vessel reopened in May 2021, with a rule requiring visitors to come in groups and a new ticket fee for most visitors, but Vessel
4550-422: The designs. Work on the 981-foot (299 m)-tall 50 Hudson Yards, located at Tenth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, began in May 2018, with construction completed in 2022. BlackRock signed on as an anchor tenant, and is to occupy 850,000 square feet (79,000 m ) in the building, but Facebook will occupy more space with 1.2 million square feet (110,000 m ). Foster + Partners designed
4641-526: The developer collected income based on sales, rather than traditional fixed payments. In May 2020, the Financial Times noted the development had become a "ghost town". Designboom Designboom (stylized as designboom ) is a daily web magazine headquartered in Milan and covering the fields of industrial design , architecture , and art internationally. Launched in 1999, the publication
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#17327880222214732-454: The development's 2006 bond offering to pay for an extension of the New York City Subway 's 7 and <7> trains to 34th Street–Hudson Yards station. With funding assured, the MTA proceeded quickly to construct the extension. The first construction contracts were awarded in October 2007, and the subway extension opened on September 13, 2015. In late 2006,
4823-443: The development’s name). The first of its two phases, opened in 2019, comprises a public green space and eight structures that contain residences, a hotel, office buildings, a mall, and a cultural facility. The second phase, on which construction had not started as of 2023 , will include residential space, an office building, and a school. Related Companies and Oxford Properties are the primary developers and major equity partners in
4914-434: The east) further incentivized the building of other large-scale projects. Hudson Yards is adjacent but unrelated to Manhattan West , 3 Hudson Boulevard , and The Spiral . The eastern portion of the site, developed as Phase 1, is located between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. It contains three office towers on Tenth Avenue , two of which have a retail podium between them. Phase 1 also includes The Shed performing arts center,
5005-440: The eastern portion of Hudson Yards. The larger, known as The Spiral , is owned by Tishman Speyer. The smaller development is known as 3 Hudson Boulevard . Several existing or planned residential buildings border Phase 1. Related owns three: One Hudson Yards , Abington House and 451 Tenth Avenue. Despite sharing a developer, these buildings are distinct from the main Hudson Yards project. Another Related development also on
5096-429: The groundbreaking for 10 Hudson Yards, and the first phase opened on March 15, 2019. Agreements between various entities including the local government , the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and the state of New York made the development possible. The special zoning for Hudson Yards (an area roughly bound by 30th Street in the south, 41st Street in the north, 11th Avenue in the west, and Eighth Avenue in
5187-484: The home of the Jets after the games ended. Proposers dubbed the structure the " New York Sports and Convention Center ". In addition to the stadium, rezoning the adjacent area would have incentivized the construction of some 13,000 new residential units and 28 million square feet (2,600,000 m ) of office space. This effort, led by Daniel Doctoroff , was unpopular with the public and politicians. In January 2005,
5278-423: The installation of more safety barriers. Vessel is a 16-story, 150-foot-tall (46 m) structure of connected staircases among the buildings of Hudson Yards, located in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Hudson Yards Public Square. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick , Vessel has 154 flights, 2,500 steps, and 80 landings, with the total length of the stairs exceeding 1 mile (1.6 km). The copper-clad steps, arranged like
5369-530: The installation of the first 10 pieces of the 75-piece structure. It was projected for completion in the spring of 2019, with the other 65 pieces arriving in five batches. The structure topped out in December 2017. In October 2018, it was announced that the opening of Vessel had been scheduled for March 15, 2019, and that tickets to enter the structure would become available in February. By January 2019, Hudson Yards officials were soliciting public suggestions for
5460-642: The new New York bureau for CNN , and urban planning organization Sidewalk Labs . The Hudson Yards site was initially intended for other developments, most notably in the early 2000s as the site of the West Side Stadium , during the New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics . Public officials and private investors began developing the new Hudson Yards plan after the failure of the West Side Stadium. Construction began in 2012 with
5551-501: The office component covering the eastern portion of the railyards while "Hudson Green" was residential-focused and planned for the western railyards. Individual towers would have been designed by SHoP Architects , SANAA , Thomas Phifer , Handel Architects , and Diller Scofidio + Renfro . The development would have also included two hotels, a cultural center, school, two parks (4.4 acres for Hudson Green and 3.4 acres for Hudson Place), and 100,000 square feet (9,300 m ) of space for
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#17327880222215642-421: The original master plan as created by KPF. Cooley , a law firm, signed a lease to occupy 130,000 square feet (12,000 m ) across five stories. Another law firm, Milbank , will occupy 250,000 square feet (23,000 m ). American cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase has sublet 30,000 square feet (2,800 m ) from Point72 Asset Management in the building. To lower costs and allow flexibility during
5733-502: The plans, at which point a colleague introduced Ross to Heatherwick. Six weeks after they talked, Ross accepted Heatherwick's proposal immediately because it "had everything I wanted". In an interview with designboom , Heatherwick said that his design for Vessel originated from a childhood experience when he "fell in love with an old discarded flight of wooden stairs outside a local building site". The media first reported Heatherwick's commissioning in October 2013. The concept of Vessel
5824-473: The platform was necessary in order to start construction on 15, 30, and 35 Hudson Yards. The platform for the Eastern Rail Yard was completed in October 2015, and the western platform was completed by 2016. In anticipation of the completion of the structures at Hudson Yards, the section of the High Line elevated park adjacent to the development opened in September 2014. After several delays in
5915-512: The portions directly outside the elevator. Furthermore, elevator stops on the fifth and seventh stories were sometimes skipped due to overcrowding concerns. In December 2019, Related Companies and Vessel operator ERY Vessel LLC reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to increase accessibility to the structure by adding wheelchair lifts and retaining elevator access to all levels. Hudson Yards (development) Hudson Yards
6006-443: The praise, writing that the "proposal is the only one worth serious consideration." Related's initial proposal envisioned 13 towers split between 3 office building and 10 residential structures. The company divided the space between 6.7 million square feet (620,000 m ) of office space and 4,962 residential units. The towers would have varied in height from 350 feet (110 m) to 1,100 feet (340 m) and been designed by
6097-734: The project. Related, Oxford, and other large investors have funded Hudson Yards' construction from several capital sources, including from foreign investors through the EB-5 investment program . Mitsui Fudosan owns a 92.09 percent stake in 55 Hudson Yards , and a 90 percent stake in 50 Hudson Yards . The architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox designed the master plan for the site, and architects including Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill , Thomas Heatherwick , Foster + Partners , Roche-Dinkeloo , and Diller Scofidio + Renfro contributed designs for individual structures. Major office tenants include or will include fashion company Tapestry , consulting firm BCG ,
6188-413: The projections were later revised to between $ 150 and $ 200 million. Heatherwick attributed the greatly increased price tag to the complexity of building the steel pieces. The pieces of Vessel were assembled in the comune of Monfalcone in Italy. Ships transported the sections of the sculpture to Hudson River docks. "Vessel" was planned to be the structure's temporary name during construction, with
6279-475: The rail yard during the 20th century. In 1956, William Zeckendorf suggested the construction of the "Freedom Tower," which would have risen 1,750 feet (530 m), making it the tallest building in the world at the time. Transportation to the new complex would have been via a "passenger conveyor belt " from further east in Midtown. Zeckendorf never purchased the rights, as he was unable to secure financing for
6370-540: The rail yard, which would remain in use throughout. The MTA received three bids to cap and lease the rail yard. Cablevision (the owner of the nearby Madison Square Garden ), the New York Jets organization, and TransGas Energy all submitted proposals. The Jets won the development rights, but several lawsuits filed after the bidding process alleged they won without paying a fair price. In June 2005, New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver voted against
6461-408: The rail yards, including for the two platforms over the yards to support 15 acres (6.1 ha) of public spaces, four office buildings, and ten high-rise residential towers. Tishman had secured the investment bank Morgan Stanley as both an anchor tenant and financial backer. Two months later, the deal broke down when Morgan Stanley pulled out due to the 2007–2008 financial crisis . Subsequently,
6552-468: The residential-focused Western railyard rather than the entire site. Due to this, the MTA disqualified the Related bid. Tishman Speyer's bid, designed by Helmut Jahn , covered 11 towers centered on four large office towers surrounded by seven smaller residential buildings. Two of the office towers would have stood at 900 feet (270 m) while the other two would be taller at 1,100 feet (340 m) with
6643-482: The rest devoted to 3,812 residential units. The company's proposal also featured 19.5 acres of outdoor space including an outdoor amphitheatre and a sculpture garden named after Sol LeWitt . The company also would have built a new ferry terminal on the Hudson River as well as a Long Island Rail Road stop at the site. Extell's proposal was fundamentally different than the others as they proposed constructing
6734-488: The second phase of construction, on the western yard. The labor dispute is ongoing as of February 2019 , though there have been meetings between labor leader Gary LaBarbera and Related executive Bruce Beal Jr. The Edge observation deck on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards had opened on March 11, 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City caused Related to close Edge two days later. The restaurant on
6825-493: The space." Ted Loos of The New York Times said the sculpture, while a "stairway to nowhere" in the utilitarian sense, served as an "exclamation point" to the northern terminus of the High Line. David Colon of Gothamist called Vessel "a bold addition to the city's landscape". Public Art Fund president Susan Freedman liked the renderings for Vessel but called it "a leap of faith in terms of scale". She said there might be too much demand for Vessel , especially considering
6916-442: The stadium, definitively eliminating the possibility of support at the state level and the possibility of the stadium's construction. Although Bloomberg and others expressed doubts about interest in the area from real estate companies after the stadium fell through, development nevertheless continued. The former mayor later expressed that the loss of the stadium may have been a "blessing" for New York. The MTA received proceeds from
7007-496: The structure as extravagant. Vessel was also initially criticized for its restrictive copyright policy regarding photographs of the structure, as well as its lack of accessibility for disabled visitors, although both issues were subsequently addressed. In January 2021, following three suicides at Vessel , it was closed to the public indefinitely. Vessel reopened in May 2021, then indefinitely closed again after another suicide two months later. It reopened in October 2024 following
7098-481: The structure's possible reopening. After full-height steel mesh nets were installed on each level, news media reported in early 2024 that Vessel would reopen later that year, though the top level would remain closed. On October 21, 2024, Vessel reopened; initially, only the lowest two levels and parts of the upper levels were open to the public. The sculpture has received both acclaim and criticism. Fortune writer Shawn Tully called Vessel "Manhattan's answer to
7189-490: The structure's proximity to the High Line. Other critics panned Vessel . New York Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman called Vessel's exterior "gaudy" and criticized Hudson Yards more generally as a "gated community" that lacked real public space. CityLab ' s Feargus O'Sullivan called Vessel , along with Heatherwick's other numerous billionaire-funded developments and architectural projects, "a gaudy monument to being only ever-so-slightly free." Some called it
7280-545: The structure. To protest the inaccessibility of the structure, the artist Shannon Finnegan set up a lounge that could only be accessed by signing an agreement to not travel above the structure's ground level. The United States Department of Justice filed a complaint alleging that because of the number of separate landings within Vessel , most of the structure was not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, except for
7371-405: The taller office towers as the company's headquarters and also would have provided equity and debt financing for the project. Tishman Speyer, a New York-based real estate conglomerate, won the bid in March 2008. Tishman Speyer won a $ 1 billion bid to lease and cap the West Side Yard, with payment due as annual rent over a 99-year period. It would also spend another $ 2 billion for development over
7462-428: The top 3 levels and 1 ⁄ 4 of the mall, or 250,000 square feet (23,000 m ) before its closure. Chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller has opened a restaurant in the complex, in addition to selecting 11 other restaurants in the retail space. There is fine dining on the fifth through seventh floors as well as more casual fare on the second through fourth floors. The mall is anchored by Dior and Chanel on
7553-422: The topmost floors, with "a ' Fifth Avenue ' mix of shops", such as H&M , Zara , and Sephora below them. The Neiman Marcus closed in 2020 as part of a plan to close 24 locations nationwide, having been open only for 16 months. The former Neiman Marcus is slated to be converted to office space. There is a 6-acre (2 ha) public square, with 28,000 plants and 225 trees, on the platform. The public square
7644-408: The tower. The 780-foot-tall (240 m) 55 Hudson Yards, located at Eleventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and Roche-Dinkeloo. 55 Hudson Yards started construction on January 22, 2015, and topped out in August 2017. Mitsui Fudosan owns a 92.09 percent stake in the building. Like 50 Hudson Yards, 55 is not located over the rail yard, and was not included in
7735-493: Was broken for the building on December 4, 2012. Construction began with 10 Hudson Yards as it was not built over railroad tracks. However, 10 Hudson Yards does straddle the High Line spur to Tenth Avenue . 10 Hudson Yards opened on May 31, 2016, and was the first structure in the Hudson Yards development to be occupied by tenants. Companies with offices in the building include L'Oreal , BCG , Sidewalk Labs , and anchor tenant Coach. Early on during construction, Coach purchased
7826-527: Was closed again in July 2021 after a fourth suicide. As of August 2022, Hudson Yards officials were installing safety nets around Vessel in preparation for the structure's possible reopening. The Hudson Yards development sits directly west of the second-largest project in the area: Manhattan West, a 7-acre (2.8 ha) mixed-use multi-building development also built above previously exposed rail yards. Two large-scale, single-building office developments border
7917-582: Was intended to make the structure stand out like a "12-month Christmas tree". Heatherwick said that he intends visitors to climb and explore the structure as if it were a jungle gym. At the top of the structure, visitors can see the Hudson River . Vessel is located in and was designed in concert with the Hudson Yards Public Square, designed by Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects . The 5-acre (2 ha) space hosts 28,000 plants and 225 trees in total. A canopy of trees
8008-468: Was the first web magazine to focus on industrial design, architecture, and art internationally. In 2010, designboom china was launched. In 2012, designboom and Architonic formed a strategic alliance to pool their digital resources. In 2017, designboom launched The Design Prize with the Italian magazine Abitare awarding top designers in ten categories. In January 2022, designboom was acquired by
8099-410: Was topped out in February 2018, and opened in early 2019. When completed, 15 Hudson Yards included 285 residential units. Its original design, with a pronounced "corset" at the middle of the tower's height, attracted attention. 15 Hudson Yards is designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro , Lead Architect and Rockwell Group , Lead Interior Architect. Prospective low-income tenants of the building filed
8190-417: Was unique in several aspects, including the fact that it included a construction mezzanine loan, that Coach was a lender on both the debt and equity sides, and that the MTA reused a "severable lease" structure (previously used by Battery Park City ) that allowed for the loans. A portion of the project was also financed by the EB-5 investment program , which uses capital from immigrants, who become eligible for
8281-531: Was unveiled to the public on September 14, 2016, in an event attended by hundreds of people including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio . Hosted by Anderson Cooper , the event featured a performance from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that evoked the interlocking design of Vessel 's staircases. In April 2017, the first major piece of the sculpture was installed at Hudson Yards. Construction started on April 18 with
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