Tourists are once again climbing the steps of Manhattan’s beehive-shaped Vessel sculpture after it reopened in mid October for the first time in three years, now with netting aimed at decreasing the risk of suicides like the ones that forced its closure.

Around 75 visitors had bought tickets and lined up to enter the metallic honeycomb design as it opened. Within minutes, they passed through a security checkpoint and buzzed about the stairways and vista platforms, the highest of which is around 45 metres.

Flexible netting allowed visitors to stick out their phones, but not their bodies, to capture views of the sculpture’s interior and the surrounding cityscape.

This isn’t the first time the site has closed and reopened with new safety features. The climbable sculpture’s zigzagging stairs drew crowds of tourists when it opened in 2019. It closed after three people died after jumping from the structure and reopened with security guards and an unusual rule: nobody could visit it alone. Despite those safety measures, another person died in 2021, and it was closed again.

The Vessel now has floor-to-ceiling mesh barriers on all the walkable sections, partially obstructing some views, and closing off much of the higher levels from visitors.

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