Now’s your chance to pick a name for Hudson Yards’s climbable staircase

It won't be called Vessel for much longer

It's been nearly two weeks since Hudson Yards opened to the public, with its Instagram-ready centerpiece, Vessel, proving to be a popular (and controversial) focal point for visitors. And now, developer Related Companies is fulfilling a promise it made (mostly to itself) before the megaproject's debut: It's giving members of the public the chance to nominate a permanent name for Thomas Heatherwick's beehive-shaped staircase.

Even though the public artwork, made of 154 interconnected staircases, has been known as Vessel since it was announced in 2016, the name was always intended to be temporary, according to Related. For a very brief period, it was being called New York's Staircase, but that didn't stick either.

When we posed this question to Curbed NY readers in January, some of the better suggestions included:

• Stairy McStairface
• The Widowmaker (multiple submissions!)
• King Kong's Jungle Gym
• The Hive
• The Upside Down Pinecone of Shredded Calves

On Twitter, meanwhile, architecture writer Will Jennings held a very informal poll to seek out a permanent name:

THE GREAT WORLD CUP OF PUBLICLY CROWD-SOURCED NAMES FOR "THE VESSEL" HAS

A WINNER

ABLEISM: THE BUILDING
BY @trefryesque, who wins this emoji medal!

pic.twitter.com/rlUXqWACoc

— will jennings (@willjennings80) March 21, 2019

Presumably, Related is seeking a less jokey name than those (or the Great Doner Kebab), but a submission is a submission. We've reached out to Related for clarification on how long they'll accept submissions, and when a permanent name will be announced; we'll update this piece accordingly.

But in the meantime, the form to submit a new name for Vessel can be found on the Hudson Yards website.