The High Line was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Today, the structure is an elevated public park.
The public space blends plant life (reminiscent of the quiet contemplative nature of the self-seeded landscape and wild plantings that once grew on the unused High Line) with long, narrow "planks," forming a smooth, linear, virtually seamless walking surface. The public environment on the High Line includes a water feature, viewing platforms, a sundeck, and gathering areas used for performances, art exhibitions and educational programs. The first section, from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, opened June 9, 2009. The second section, from West 20th Street to West 30th Street, is scheduled to open next month.
This summer The New York School of Interior Design offers “Walking the High Line,” a one-time course exploring the park’s historical and cultural significance and its tremendous impact on the neighborhoods that surround it. Author and architectural historian Mat Postal will lead the tour on July 14. For more information or to register, please visit www.nysid.edu.
For more information about the park, please visit www.thehighline.org.
Image courtesy thehighline.org. Info courtesy thehighline.org and NYSID.
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