Four Visitors Make Extreme Choices... New York Landmark The Vessel Faces Permanent Closure Review

The famous Vessel in New York.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] It has been confirmed that the Vessel, a tourist attraction in New York, USA, is considering permanent closure due to a series of visitors' extreme choices.

On the 30th (local time), the online media outlet The Daily Beast reported that Stephen Ross, chairman of the Vessel's operator, Related Companies, revealed this. The day before, a 14-year-old boy who had climbed the 8th-floor stairs with his family jumped to his death. This is the fourth such incident since the Vessel opened in 2019.

The Vessel is a structure composed of 154 stepped uphill stairs and 80 landings. It is characterized by its honeycomb shape and reaches a total height of 46 meters. However, the Vessel has a structure made solely of stairs without exterior materials such as glass. Also, the railings installed on the stairs are low enough that anyone can jump over them if they wish.

As a result, from February last year to January this year, three visitors have already made extreme choices at the Vessel. There were repeated calls to raise the height of the railings for safety reasons, but the Vessel decided to reopen the building after tripling the number of internal safety personnel and introducing regulations banning solo visitors.

However, an accident occurred again just two months after reopening. The Vessel is currently temporarily closed, and the operator plans to review all options, including reopening or permanent closure, after an internal investigation related to the accident. Chairman Ross stated, "I believe we have done everything possible to avoid such situations. I sincerely feel sorry for the bereaved families."

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