Photo © James and Karla Murray for 6sqft
After the third suicide in less than a year was reported at the Vessel this week, the 150-foot climbable structure has temporarily closed. On Monday, a 21-year-old man from Texas jumped to his death from the bronzed steel and concrete sculpture. Hudson Yards developer Related Companies is now looking to address ways to prevent future tragedies at the Manhattan site, as Patch first reported.
It goes without saying that 2020 has been an unpredictable, challenging year. This March, COVID-19 brought New York City to a standstill, from the city’s bustling street life to the plethora of construction projects that defined the prior year. The pandemic quickly changed the way we live and build, but ultimately didn’t stop New Yorkers from doing either.
The city is still a place with bold new construction projects, glittering towers and mega-developments, unique and creative amenities — especially to respond to a year sticking close to home. 2020 brought the introduction of a new public park inside an Upper West Side mega-development, multi-million dollar condo sales along Billionaire’s Row, the restoration of a classic NYC landmark, and impressive new architecture that promises to shape our ever-changing skyline.
Our picks are down to 12 of the most notable residential structures this year. The only question is: Which do you think deserves 6sqft’s title of 2020 Building of the Year? To have your say, polls for our sixth annual competition will be open up until midnight on Sunday, December 13 and we will announce the winner on Monday, December 14.
Photo by Charissa Fay
The restaurant on the 101st floor of 30 Hudson Yards will reopen for indoor dining on October 6. Peak, which first opened to the public in March and then closed later that month because of the coronavirus pandemic, has again started taking reservations for its massive 10,000-square-foot dining room, which sits one floor above Edge, the 1,100-foot-high outdoor sky deck. The restaurant said it will not take any parties larger than 10 guests and will not accept cash payments.
Photo of Edge at Hudson Yards courtesy of Related-Oxford
Looking to take your yoga practice to new heights? Edge, the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere located in Hudson Yards, will launch a “sky-high” yoga experience this week. Run by Equinox, the classes take place on the 100th-floor observation deck of 30 Hudson Yards. The first event will take place on September 18, with tickets released on a week-by-week basis.
Photo courtesy of Francis Dzikowski for Related-Oxford
Neiman Marcus is closing its massive flagship store at Hudson Yards just weeks after filing for bankruptcy in May and a little over a year after first opening at the development. The retailer will also permanently close three other locations, two stores in Florida and one in Washington, according to the Dallas Morning News. Hudson Yards developers Related Companies and Oxford Properties have already started marketing the 190,000-square-foot space as office space.
Photo © Dana Schulz for 6sqft
Edge, the 1,100-foot-tall outdoor observation deck at Hudson Yards, is expected to reopen next week with safety precautions taken to “new heights.” The sky-high deck first opened to the public on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards in March, only to close two days later because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as New York City prepares to enter phase four of reopening, Related Companies says visitors could start experiencing Edge as soon as July 20, with new timed-entry tickets and public health measures created in collaboration with the Mount Sinai Health System.
Rendering of Essex Crossing via Moso Studio
The New York Times recently suggested that the boxy, ordinary-looking Essex Crossing, with its Trader Joe’s, Target, movieplex, historic Essex Street Market and subsidized affordable housing was the “anti-Hudson Yards,” a convincing foil to the buzzy midtown tourist magnet. The obvious contrast between the glittering far-west-side megaproject that in the right light resembles Dubai on the Hudson and the six-acre $1.9 billion development abutting the Williamsburg Bridge speaks to each one’s intended audience, of course. But a diversity of options for both locals and visitors and a broad offering of affordable housing could make Essex Crossing more than just Liverpool on the Lower East Side.
Image courtesy of Related Oxford.
6sqft reported back in March that Hudson Yards had opened a reservation list to experience Edge, the observation platform perched at a record-setting 1,100 feet in the sky. Now you can officially buy tickets to the Western Hemisphere’s highest outdoor sky deck. Visitors can gaze out on a 360-degree view of New York City’s iconic skyline from the champagne bar, or peer down through a glass floor. The platform-in-the-clouds will open on March 11, 2020; you’ll be able to sip cocktails or get a light bite at the 100th-floor bar or dine at Peak, the 101st-floor restaurant, café and event space.
Photo by Iwan Baan, courtesy of The Shed
After news broke last month about the Hamptons fundraiser Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross hosted for President Donald Trump, there were calls to boycott organizations owned by his company. While Equinox, SoulCycle, and David Chang’s Momofuku Restaurant Group separated themselves from Ross to clear the air, some fashion brands have more recently blacklisted Ross-linked entities, including the arts center The Shed at Hudson Yards, which was developed by Related. The New York Post reported this week that Michael Kors, Vera Wang, and the Academy of Art have canceled shows at the venue following the fundraiser fallout in August.
Photo of Hudson Yards via Flickr
As Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross continues to face backlash for throwing a fundraiser on Friday for President Donald Trump, his company is dealing with some drama of its own. Plans submitted a year ago to the Long Island Rail Road for the second phase of the Hudson Yards development have still not been approved by the agency, the New York Post reported.
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