NEW YORK, March 16, 2019 — Yesterday the Hudson Yards neighborhood officially opened to the public, marking a historic moment in the City of New York. Beginning at noon, New Yorkers and visitors flocked to the Public Square and Gardens, a new five-acre public space; its centerpiece, an interactive landmark temporarily known as Vessel; and The Shops & Restaurants, a one-million-square-foot retail center featuring a collection of more than 100 diverse shops and culinary experiences. Tenants have begun moving into 55 Hudson Yards and 30 Hudson Yards, two large-scale commercial towers, and residential occupancy is underway at 15 Hudson Yards. 10 Hudson Yards opened in May of 2016. The opening of Hudson Yards, built atop the MTA’s John D. Caemmerer West Side Storage Yard, brings together for the first time the West Side and the neighboring districts of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen.
Hector Figueroa, President of 32BJ SEIU, the largest property service union in the country, said, “Hudson Yards is poised to provide hundreds of family sustaining, union jobs, which have been proven to be the number one pathway to the middle class, to local workers. As these building cleaners, maintenance people and security officers fill Hudson Yards jobs, they will be able to provide for their families and lift up the New York communities they support. 32BJ SEIU looks forward to engaging these new union members and continuing to work towards a supportive environment for all working people in New York.”
Stephen M. Ross, Chairman of Related Companies said, “Building Hudson Yards is the most humbling experience of my lifetime. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to create a neighborhood of this size and impact, let alone in New York City. Hudson Yards’ economic impact is already profound and its place on the New York skyline is meaningful. Bringing this vision to life took incredible forethought and commitment from the public sector, and a world-class team and set of partners in the private sector, many of whom signed on to bring their businesses to our budding community when it was still just an open railyard. This new neighborhood represents more than just a set of buildings, it shows what can be achieved when the public and private sectors join together to unleash passion and creativity. Our ambition for Hudson Yards was to create a great neighborhood, with experiences and opportunities for everyone. I am confident that we have achieved this with great public spaces, shopping and culinary expressions across all spectrums, cultural attractions, diverse residential opportunities and cutting-edge sustainability and resiliency. We are thrilled to now welcome every New Yorker, indeed the world, to visit New York’s newest neighborhood, Hudson Yards.”
Blake Hutcheson, Chair of Oxford Properties Group and President of OMERS said, “Today we celebrate the transformation of vision into reality with the opening of New York’s newest neighborhood, Hudson Yards. This neighborhood brings the community together with incredible art, architecture, public space and built form. We are proud of how far we have come in creating this great place, and excited to see it continue to grow and evolve with the spirit and energy of New York City and New Yorkers.”
A world-class collection of architects and designers collaborated on Hudson Yards, including: Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Elkus Manfredi Architects; Foster + Partners; Heatherwick Studio; Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects; Rockwell Group; and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Hudson Yards is home to industry leaders across nearly every business sector. 10 Hudson Yards is home to Guardian Life Insurance Co., L’Oréal USA, Tapestry Inc., The Boston Consulting Group, SAP, VaynerMedia, Intersection and Sidewalk Labs. 55 Hudson Yards is home to Boies, Schiller & Flexner; Engineers Gate; HealthCor Management; Milbank LLP; Point72 Asset Management; Silver Lake; Third Point LLC; MarketAxess; and Mount Sinai Health System. 30 Hudson Yards is home to Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts (KKR), WarnerMedia, Related Companies, Oxford Properties Group, Wells Fargo Securities and DNB. 35 Hudson Yards will be home to Equinox’s headquarters and HSS. 50 Hudson Yards will be home to BlackRock’s world headquarters.
Throughout the weekend, New Yorkers are invited to opening celebrations with numerous public performances including presentations from the Dancers of The Ailey School; the Haiku Guys, poets that create complimentary Haiku’s on any topic; Taro’s Origami, intricate and unique origami mementos; Caricature Artist A.E. Kieren, an undercover illustrator creating candid sketches in the moment; The D.R.E.A.M. Ring, a community-oriented dance company performing the Brooklyn-born street dance style Flexn; Silhouettes by Cindi, live creation of unique paper silhouette mementos; in addition to various DJ’s playing throughout the weekend.
Those who visit Hudson Yards will experience:
- The Public Square and Gardens, one of the signature spaces at Hudson Yards, containing five acres of public plazas, gardens and groves designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in collaboration with Heatherwick Studio. The new park space seamlessly connects to the High Line, Hudson Park & Boulevard and Bella Abzug Park, creating a continuous chain of open spaces on the West Side from Gansevoort Street to Times Square, making it the largest network of public spaces developed in Manhattan since Central Park. The Public Square and Gardens is one segment of the 14 acres of open space at Hudson Yards.
- Vessel, the centerpiece of the Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens, and the City’s new urban landmark designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio. Comprised of 154 intricately-interconnecting flights of stairs, 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings, Vessel offers the public a one-mile vertical climbing experience and some of the most unique views of Manhattan’s West Side. Free entrance with timed ticketing details are now available at www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/staircase/. Those who have experienced the structure will be encouraged to submit ideas for a permanent name from their mobile devices as they exit Vessel.
- The Shops & Restaurants, New York City’s premier shopping and dining destination located at 20 Hudson Yards. The one-million-square-foot retail center brings together an unparalleled collection of shopping and dining experiences found nowhere else in New York, including offerings from leading brands in every category from luxury to fast fashion, first stores from many digitally native brands and imaginative cultural exhibitions. The culinary collection offers comprehensive and complementary experiences for morning, noon and night, across all food types and price points.
Additional highlights of the neighborhood still set to open over the upcoming months include: The Shed on April 5; the Equinox Hotel® in June; and Edge, the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, expected to open by early 2020.
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