Stephen Ross

July 30, 2021

Hudson Yards’ Vessel may close permanently after fourth suicide in two years

The 150-foot climbable sculpture in Hudson Yards may shut down permanently after a teenager jumped to his death from the structure on Thursday. Vessel, an interactive public art piece designed by Thomas Heatherwick that opened in 2019 as the centerpiece of the $25 billion development, temporarily closed in January after three suicides, reopening a few months later with a new "buddy system." The death of a 14-year-old boy on Thursday marks the fourth suicide at Vessel in less than two years.
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September 4, 2019

Fashion brands reportedly boycott The Shed over Stephen Ross ties

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.
Is The Shed so last year?
August 15, 2019

How brands owned by Stephen Ross have responded following the fallout from Trump fundraiser

After Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross's plan to host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump leaked to the public last week, there were calls to boycott organizations owned by his company. Much to the disappointment of many millennials, Ross's company owns Equinox, SoulCycle, and PureYoga, as well as foodie favorites Momofuku and Milk Bar. In response to the quick backlash, some of the brands released statements separating themselves from the Hamptons fundraiser, which raised millions of dollars for Trump's reelection campaign. Others announced plans to donate proceeds to charity.
The full list
August 13, 2019

Exclusive supper club for the ultra-wealthy will open at 35 Hudson Yards this fall

One of the city's most elite supper clubs is set to open this October at 35 Hudson Yards—and early reports say it's so exclusive that even residents of the luxury building (where apartments start at $5.1 million) won't be able to afford a membership. “It’s not for residents,” a source familiar with the project told the New York Post. “It’s for the developer’s super-rich buddies and CEO friends.” Details about the luxe club, which will be called WS New York,  are being kept on the down-low but its website boasts "unparalleled access to the finest wine and spirits, world-class dining, and one-of-a-kind cultural events" offering guests an "insider perspective on rarified worlds."
More info
August 9, 2019

Second phase of Related’s Hudson Yards development stalled by LIRR

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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July 17, 2019

Billionaire developer Stephen Ross lists Time Warner Center penthouse for $75M

As Related CEO and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross prepares to move into the penthouse at one of his most recent developments, 35 Hudson Yards, he’s first unloading one of his older properties at another one of the company’s Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed building, the Time Warner Center. (The Real Deal's roundup of his properties shows Ross's penchant for “getting high off his own supply.”) First reported by the Wall Street Journal, Ross has listed the 80th-floor condo he shares with his wife, jewelry designer Kara Ross, for a staggering $75 million—one of the most expensive properties on the market in New York City.
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March 15, 2019

After seven years of construction, Hudson Yards is now OPEN

It's been nearly two decades since city officials began plans and rezonings for Manhattan's West Side Yards and seven years since construction began on the selected $20 billion project, Hudson Yards. And as of today, the largest private development in the nation is officially open to the public. New Yorkers can visit the public squares and gardens, the one-million-square-foot shops and restaurants, and probably most anticipated, the Vessel, the 150-foot-tall, climbable public art piece. Ahead, watch a time-lapse video of the 28-acre development under construction and learn more about what's open and what's yet to come.
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December 7, 2017

VIDEO: Watch an eight-month time lapse of the Vessel rising in Hudson Yards

The Vessel, the 150-foot vertical sculpture, topped out on Wednesday, following eight months of construction at the Hudson Yards site. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the 600-ton structure made of bronzed steel and concrete will sit in the center of the development's public square. It includes 154 intricately-laced flights of stairs and 80 landings, rising from a base that measures 50 feet in diameter and widens to 150 feet at the top. The landmark offers a one-mile vertical climbing experience, allowing for unique views of Manhattan's evolving West Side. Related Companies, the group behind the Hudson Yards development, created a time lapse of the Vessel rising, beginning with the fabrication of pieces in Italy, followed by its first placement and then, finally, the structure's topping out on Wednesday.
Watch it rise
December 6, 2017

Thomas Heatherwick’s 150-foot, climbable Vessel tops out in Hudson Yards

The Vessel, a 150-foot-tall climbable sculpture made of bronzed steel and concrete, topped out Wednesday, serving as the public centerpiece of Hudson Yards' Public Square and Gardens. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, the $150 million interactive landmark includes 154 interconnecting flights of stairs, nearly 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings. The idea for the project stems from Related Companies' chairman, Stephen Ross, who called it "New York's Eiffel Tower." The final piece of the 600-ton structure will be installed today, nearly eight months after construction began.
See it here
April 18, 2017

Related’s Stephen Ross kicks off construction on Hudson Yards’ 150-foot climbable ‘Vessel’

The standard for public art spaces has officially reached new heights. Today, the installation has begun on Vessel, an innovative landmark designed by Heatherwick Studio at Hudson Yards. As 6sqft previously wrote, the project’s idea stems from Related Companies' chairman Stephen Ross, who chose Heatherwick to design the $200 million (up as of today from the original $150 million estimate) large-scale piece of art. After being fabricated and constructed in Monfalcone, Italy, the first ten pieces of the 150-foot-tall steel structure arrived in January at the Port of Newark via ship and then traveled across the Hudson River. And as of this morning, Ross was on site to mark the first of these massive components (they each weigh close to 100,000 pounds) being put into place by crane.
See photos from Vessel's installation and watch a video of Stephen Ross' remarks
January 13, 2017

Pieces of Thomas Heatherwick’s massive, climbable ‘Vessel’ arrive at Hudson Yards site

Back in September, Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross finally unveiled the large-scale artwork that would anchor the central public space within Hudson Yards. As Ross revealed, Thomas Heatherwick was chosen to design the piece, and it would cost an incredible $150 million to build. Dubbed "The Vessel,” the climbable sculpture would rise 16-stories—150 feet tall, 50 feet wide at its base and 150 feet wide at the top—and consist of a web of 154 concrete and steel staircases with 2,500 steps, 80 landings and an elevator; the piece, in fact, so massive that it could comfortably accommodate 1,000 visitors at a time. The sculpture was to be constructed in Monfalcone, Italy before being shipped to its home on the Hudson River. And now CityRealty reports that parts of what Ross once called "New York's Eiffel Tower" have officially arrived at the site and await assembly.
More photos this way
January 11, 2017

Related Cos. plays a prominent role in supporting controversial immigration program for wealthy investors

New York-based mega-developer Related Cos. has been instrumental in recent efforts to keep the door open on a controversial program that provides green cards to wealthy investors, reports the Wall Street Journal. Related, the developer behind the $20 billion Hudson Yards project and many other luxury developments, has been instrumental in blocking bipartisan efforts to overhaul a green card program, known as EB-5, that allows permanent legal U.S. residency to immigrants who invest $500,000 or more in certain U.S. businesses.
Hoping for a supportive Trump White House
September 14, 2016

REVEALED: Thomas Heatherwick’s $150M climbable Hudson Yards sculpture ‘The Vessel’

It was nearly three years ago that Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross boasted that Hudson Yards' public art piece would be "New York’s Eiffel Tower," and after an unveiling today of the massive sculpture that will anchor the central public space, it seems he might not have been too far off.
More details and renderings this way
May 4, 2016

Related Launches Hudson Yards Living Website With New Renderings

On the heels of the news that Hudson Yards will add $18.9 billion to the city's GDP and the reconfirmation that the developers will build an iconic $200 million sculpture at the center of the plan's plaza, Related quietly launched a new Hudson Yards Living website, providing general information for prospective residents and a few new images of the $20 billion master plan.
More details and renderings this way
June 23, 2015

Join Global Architecture, Urban Planning and Real Estate Pundits at the NYT’s Cities for Tomorrow Conference

The New York Times Cities For Tomorrow conference is back again and better than ever, this time promising to deliver even more riveting talks centered on the forward-thinking innovations that are rapidly reshaping the world as we know it. This year, join Times architecture critic Michael Kimmelman as he leads the two-day event, running July […]

September 11, 2014

The Golden Age of Related: A Closer Look at New York’s Leading Real Estate Developer

Founded in 1972 by former tax attorney Stephen Ross, the Related Companies got its start securing funding for affordable housing upstate. Before long, the company moved to New York City, bringing affordable units to Battery Park City and the Upper East Side. When the boom years of the 1990's hit, Related got involved with luxury development, beginning with the renovation and conversion of an historic Beaux Arts building at Union Square into the W Hotel and then the development of 1 Union Square South. Today, the Related name is attached to some of today's biggest and most high profile projects, including One Madison and Hudson Yards. And with more than $15 billion in assets, the company is New York's leading real estate developer.
We take a closer look at Related's high-end portfolio