Representatives of the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York and the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced today that Related Companies and ERY Vessel LLC have agreed to install a new accessibility platform at the Vessel in Hudson Yards as part of a legal agreement aimed at bringing American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance to the eight-story outdoor sculpture. 

The agreement dictates that Related and ERY will design, construct, install, and operate a "one of a kind platform lift mechanism on the upper levels of the Heatherwick Studio-designed Vessel ... to increase the Vessel’s accessibility for individuals with disabilities," according to a United States Justice Department announcement. The platform will ensure that people with disabilities can move around the upper level perimeter of the Vessel in order to enjoy the Vessel's 360-degree views over Hudson Yards, the Hudson River, and New Jersey. 

According to the memo, "The United States contends that as constructed, the Vessel, a multi-story, open air structure composed of eighty (80) platforms connected by stairways, is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990." 

The memo also highlights the inaccuracy of Related's description of the Vessel as a “public landmark” that will “will lift the public up, offering a multitude of ways to engage with and experience New York, Hudson Yards and each other," writing that "at most" only three of the Vessel's 80 platforms are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Further, the memo explains that all of the accessible platforms are located on one side of the structure and that the sole elevator that reaches these platforms is often overcrowded to the point of needing to bypass the two lower platforms in order to bring visitors to the top of the sculpture.  

Regarding the agreement, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said, “We are pleased that Related has designed an innovative solution to increase accessibility to the Vessel. Related has agreed to commit substantial resources to install a platform lift that will allow individuals with disabilities to enjoy 360-degree views from the Vessel’s top level.”

Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband added,  “As we approach the ADA’s 30th Anniversary, it is vital that individuals with disabilities have access to major new tourist attractions in our cities. I am pleased that Related is taking steps to increase accessibility of the Vessel.”

News of the agreement comes as the issue of accessibility comes to a fore in several recent blockbuster architecture projects, including the recently-completed Hunters Point Library in Queens designed by Steven Holl Architects. 

New York City-base legal group Disability Rights Advocates recent filed a class action lawsuit against a collection of public agencies representing the borough due to accessibility issues discovered at the library.