High Line

The High Line extends for from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 34th Street. If Hudson Yards' Western Rail Yard is built, it will be elevated above the High Line Park, so an exit along the viaduct over the West Side Yard will lead to the Western Rail Yard. Route and 16th Street (where the tracks run through the second floor of the Chelsea Market building), with a side track and pedestrian bridge At the Gansevoort Street end (which runs north–south), the stub over Gansevoort Street is named the Tiffany and Co. Foundation Overlook The southern terminus of the park also contains a small wooded area called the Gansevoort Woodland. The route then passes under The Standard, High Line hotel and through a passage at 14th Street. The route passes through the west edge of the Chelsea Market, a food hall, at 15th Street. A spur, connecting the viaduct to the National Biscuit Company building and closed to the public, splits off at 16th Street. The railroad tracks on the spur are left in situ but the trackbeds are planted with greenery. The Tenth Avenue Square, an amphitheater on the viaduct, is at 17th Street where the High Line crosses over Tenth Avenue from southeast to northwest. where the viaduct widens slightly to accommodate a former track spur. Between 25th and 26th Streets a ramp takes visitors above the plants and shrubs on the viaduct. The flyover has a scenic overlook facing east at 26th Street, as well as several short overlooks with benches. The park then curves west to Phase 3 and merges into the Tenth Avenue Spur, which stretches over 30th Street to Tenth Avenue. The Tenth Avenue Spur is composed of three parts: the Coach Passage, with ceilings; the High Line's largest planted garden; and a plaza with temporary art exhibitions that get replaced every 18 months. The art exhibition space is named the Plinth, an allusion to London's Fourth plinth, which also displays temporary art. Phase 3 has another ramp taking visitors above the viaduct at 11th Avenue and a play area with rail ties and the Pershing Beams (modified, silicone-covered beams and stanchions coming out of the structure), a gathering space with benches, and a set of three railroad tracks where one can walk between the rails. The play area also has a seesaw-like bench and a "chime bench", with keys which make sounds when tapped. The Interim Walkway, from 11th Avenue and 30th Street to 34th Street divides the viaduct into two sides: a gravel walkway and an undeveloped section with rail tracks. The temporary walkway closed for renovation when the Tenth Avenue Spur was completed. The High Line turns north to a point just east of Twelfth Avenue. At 34th Street it curves east and descends, ending at street level midway between 12th and 11th Avenues. The spur runs east along 30th Street for one block to Dyer Avenue. The span above 30th Street uses a V-shaped structure called the Woodlands Bridge, which contains a planting bed. The walkway then turns north to 31st Street across the Timber Bridge, a span shaped like a Warren truss. It terminates at a public space within Manhattan West that ends at the west side of Ninth Avenue, directly across from Moynihan Train Hall. Landscape design The landscape design was curated by Dutch landscape architect Piet Oudolf using natural landscaping techniques. The plantings include sturdy meadow plants (such as clump-forming grasses, liatris, and coneflowers) and scattered stands of sumac and smokebush and is not limited to native plants. At the Gansevoort Street end, a grove of mixed species of birch provides shade by late afternoon. There are about 100,000 unique specimens of plants. in addition to how well they survive throughout the year. The park's attractions include naturalized plantings, inspired by plants which grew on the disused tracks, and views of the city and the Hudson River. The pebble-dash concrete walkways swell and constrict, swing from side to side, and divide into concrete tines which meld the hardscape with plantings embedded in railroad-gravel mulch. "By opening the paving, we allow the plants to bleed through," said landscape architect James Corner, "almost as if the plants were colonizing the paved areas. There's a sort of blending or bleeding or suturing between the hard paving, the surface for people to stroll on, and the planting ... " Stretches of track and ties recall the High Line's former use, and portions of track are re-used for rolling lounges positioned for river views. The benches use Brazilian Ipê timber, which came from a managed forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The High Line also has cultural attractions as part of a long-term plan for the park to host temporary installations and performances. Creative Time, Friends of the High Line, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation commissioned The River That Flows Both Ways by Spencer Finch as the inaugural art installation. as well as a series of conservation-themed activities. Artwork The High Line exhibits numerous pieces of artwork through its public-artwork subsidiary High Line Art, whose curator since 2011 has been Cecilia Alemani. A mid-2010 sound installation by Stephen Vitiello was composed from bells heard throughout New York. Lauren Ross, former director of the alternative art space White Columns, was the High Line's first curator. During the construction of the second phase (between 20th and 30th Streets) several artworks were installed, including Sarah Sze's Still Life with Landscape (Model for a Habitat): a steel-and-wood sculpture near 20th and 21st Streets built as a house for fauna such as birds and butterflies. Kim Beck's Space Available was installed on the roofs of three buildings visible from the southern end. Three sculptures, resembling the armature of empty billboards and constructed like theater backdrops, looks three-dimensional from a distance. Also installed during the second phase of construction was Julianne Swartz's Digital Empathy, a work utilizing audio messages at restrooms, elevators, and water fountains. Maine artist Charlie Hewitt's sculpture Urban Rattle was permanently installed in 2013. In 2012 and 2013, the Ghanaian born Nigerian artist El Anatsui's large scale sculpture Broken Bridge ll (at the time his largest work to date) fashioned from recycled pressed tin and broken mirrors was positioned on a wall on the west side of the street between 21st and 22nd streets, facing and sidelining the High Line. In 2016 Tony Matelli's controversial sculpture Sleepwalker was exhibited upon the High Line. Max Hooper Schneider's aquarium was displayed on the linear park in 2017. The next year, the High Line hosted the British sculptor Phyllida Barlow's first public commission, Prop. High Line Art also displays artwork on a billboard near 18th Street and 10th Avenue. In 2023 the plinth commission went to the Swiss multimedia artist Pamela Rosenkranz who created a giant bright pink tree sculpture called Old Tree. An aluminum sculpture of a pigeon, Dinosaur, by Iván Argote was mounted on the High Line plinth in 2024, remaining for 18 months. In conjunction with this sculpture, in June 2025, the High Line held its first Human "Pigeon Impersonator Contest". In 2025 Mika Rottenberg's Foot Fountain (pink) was exhibited on the High Line. ==History==

Rail line , seen from Washington Street in 1936. Only the track segment that runs through the third level of the building, and atop its two-story extension, still exists. For safety the railroad hired "West Side cowboys", men who rode horses and waved flags in front of the trains. and Eleventh Avenues. In 1929 the city, the state, and New York Central agreed on the West Side Improvement Project, The project eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings, added to Riverside Park, and included construction of the West Side Elevated Highway. which was completed in 1936 and replaced the street-level St. John's Park Terminal in present-day Tribeca. The West Side Improvement cost more than $150 million, worth about $ billion in dollars. The last stretch of street-level track was removed from Eleventh Avenue in 1941. The elevated structure was dedicated on June 29, 1934, and was the first part of the West Side Improvement Project to be completed. The High Line, which originally ran from 35th Street to St. John's Freight Terminal, and the former Nabisco plant in Chelsea Market, which were served from protected sidings in the buildings. The line also passed under the Western Electric complex at Washington Street. Although the section still existed , it is not connected to the developed park. Abandonment ) The growth of interstate trucking during the 1950s led to a drop in rail traffic throughout the U.S. and the southernmost section of the line was demolished in the following decade due to low use. The West Village Apartments were then built on part of the former segment's right of way. The demolished section began at Bank Street and ran down Washington Street to Spring Street (just north of Canal Street). By 1978, the High Line viaduct was used to deliver just two carloads of cargo per week. The viaduct was shut down in 1980, when owner Conrail had to disconnect the viaduct from the rest of the national rail system for a year. The closure was necessitated as a result of the construction of Javits Center at 34th Street, which required that the curve at 35th Street be rebuilt. The tracks leading to the High Line were reconnected in 1981, but as there were no more customers along the route, the curve at 34th Street was never completed, and the viaduct did not see any further usage. Obletz offered to buy the viaduct for $10 in order to run a small number of freight trains on the line, and Conrail accepted, mainly because demolition would have cost $5 million. However, this offer was also disputed in court. By 1988, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was negotiating with Conrail for the possibility for using the line's right of way to construct a light rail route. As part of the construction of the Empire Connection to Penn Station, which opened in spring 1991, the West Side Line tracks north of 35th Street were routed to the new Empire Connection tunnel to Penn Station. A small section of the High Line in the West Village, from Bank to Gansevoort Streets, was taken apart in 1991 despite objections by preservationists. The remaining riveted-steel elevated structure was unused and in disrepair during the 1990s, but it remained structurally sound. Around this time, it became known to urban explorers and local residents for the tough, drought-tolerant wild grasses, shrubs (such as sumac) and rugged trees which had sprung up in the gravel along the abandoned railway. The administration of mayor Rudy Giuliani planned to demolish the structure. The Interstate Commerce Commission approved plans to demolish the structure in 1992, but demolition was delayed due to disputes between various city government agencies and the railroad companies. Ownership of the viaduct ultimately passed to CSX Transportation in 1999. Repurposing proposal A nonprofit organization called Friends of the High Line was formed in October 1999 by Joshua David and Robert Hammond. The concept also drew inspiration from Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, Germany—a precedent for urban and industrial repurposing in modern landscaping. The organization was initially a small community group advocating the High Line's preservation and transformation when the structure was threatened with demolition during Rudy Giuliani's second term as mayor. In 2000, Mary Boone's art gallery, Martha Stewart, and Edward Norton hosted fundraising benefits for the High Line in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Proposals included a sculpture garden, an elongated swimming pool, and a linear amusement park/campground. In July 2003, Edward Norton and Robert Caro hosted a benefit event at Grand Central Terminal, where the submissions for the design contest were exhibited. In anticipation of this handover, the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans for a High Line park that September. The following year, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park. Mayor Bloomberg and City Council speakers Gifford Miller and Christine C. Quinn were among the major supporters. Fundraising for the park raised a total of over $150 million (). The Surface Transportation Board issued a certificate of interim trail use on June 13, 2005, allowing the city to remove most of the line from the national rail system. Ownership officially passed from CSX to the city that November. Linear park Reconstruction and design On April 10, 2006, Mayor Bloomberg presided over a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction. The park was designed by James Corner's New York-based landscape architecture firm Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, with garden design by Piet Oudolf of the Netherlands, lighting design from L'Observatoire International, and engineering design by Buro Happold and Robert Silman Associates. New York City Department of City Planning director and city planning commission chair Amanda Burden contributed to the project's development. Major supporters included Philip Falcone, Diane von Fürstenberg, Barry Diller, and von Fürstenberg's children Alexander and Tatiana von Fürstenberg. Hotel developer Andre Balazs, owner of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, built the 337-room Standard Hotel straddling the High Line at West 13th Street. The southernmost section, from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, opened as a city park on June 8, 2009. The section includes five stairways and elevators at 14th Street and 16th Street. Around the same time, construction of the second section began. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on June 7, 2011, to open the second section (from 20th Street to 30th Street), with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Congressman Jerrold Nadler in attendance. CSX Transportation, owner of the northernmost section from 30th to 34th Streets, agreed in principle to donate the section to the city in 2011; Construction on the final section was started in September 2012. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the High Line's third phase was held on September 20, 2014, followed the next day by the opening of its third section and a procession down the park. The first part (costing $75 million) is from the end of phase 2 of the line to its terminus at 34th Street, west of 11th Avenue. The second part, a spur above Tenth Avenue and 30th Street, has room to install artworks curated by the public art program. The spur was scheduled to open by 2018, It opened on June 4, 2019, with the installation of a plinth as its initial artwork. built above the spur. Subsequent developments opened its new building on Gansevoort Street, next to the south end of the High Line, in 2015. The High Line closed temporarily in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City; while most parks remained open during the pandemic, the High Line is a linear park with few means to spread out for social distancing measures. The High Line reopened on July 16, 2020, with limited capacity: the section between Gansevoort and 23rd streets was only open to visitors with timed-entry passes. Visitors were able to walk only northbound from Gansevoort Street, with the other access points being for egress only. During the pandemic, a team of 60 people hosted a Zoom call twice a week to plan an extension of the High Line. On January 11, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced proposals to extend the High Line east to Moynihan Train Hall and north to Hudson River Park. The Moynihan Connector was planned to cost $60 million and run east to Ninth Avenue. A second spur would diverge from the Phase 3 walkway at 34th Street, running north to the Javits Center and then turning west to cross the West Side Highway to Hudson River Park. When the spurs were announced, neither of the projects had been funded. A groundbreaking for the Moynihan Connector occurred on February 24, 2022, although major construction did not begin until later the same year. == Friends of the High Line ==

The line is maintained by Friends of the High Line, which was founded by Joshua David and Robert Hammond. The organization is credited with saving the structure by rallying public support for the park and convincing Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration in 2002 to support the project by filing a request with the Surface Transportation Board to create a public trail on the site. The organization is responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of the park, with an annual budget of over $5 million. It has an annual operating budget of $11.5 million, in addition to capital construction and management and fundraising expenses. The organization has an office on Washington Street, near the park's southern end. It has 80 full-time, year-round employees and about 150 full-time summer employees. Co-founder Robert Hammond served as executive director until he stepped down in February 2013. ==Impact==

Since its opening, the High Line has become one of the most popular visitors attractions in New York City. By September 2014, the park had nearly five million visitors annually, Most of these visits came from tourists; a 2019 study found that tourists made up four-fifths of the High Line's total visitor count. The New York Times called the High Line "one of the best-known naturalistic gardens anywhere" upon the park's 15th anniversary in 2024. The recycling of the rail line into an urban park and tourist attraction has revitalized Chelsea, which was "gritty" and in generally poor condition during the late twentieth century. It has also spurred real-estate development in the neighborhoods along the line. According to mayor Bloomberg, by 2009 more than 30 projects were planned or under construction nearby, It has also helped raise the value of properties directly adjacent to the High Line by an average of 10 percent over properties a few blocks away. At least 20 properties abutting the High Line have sold for at least $10 million since the park's opening in 2009, with an apartment in a building directly adjacent to the park selling for an average of $6 million. In August 2016, the park continued to increase real-estate values along it in an example of the halo effect. Residents who have bought apartments next to the High Line adapted to its presence in various ways, but most responses were positive. Among the businesses that have closed are gas stations and auto-repair stores, as well as a parochial school. In a 2017 interview, Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond said that he "failed" the community; the High Line did not fulfill its original purpose of serving the surrounding neighborhood, which had become demographically divided around the park. Due to the High Line's popularity, several museums were proposed or built along its path. The Dia Art Foundation considered (but rejected) a proposal to build a museum at the Gansevoort Street terminus. On that site, the Whitney Museum has built a new home for its collection of American art. The building, designed by Renzo Piano, opened on May 1, 2015. Crime Crime has been low in the park. Shortly after the second section opened in 2011, The New York Times reported that there had been no reports of major crimes (such as assault or robbery) since the first phase opened two years earlier. Parks Enforcement Patrols have written summonses for infractions of park rules such as walking dogs or riding bicycles on the walkway at a lower rate than in Central Park. Park advocates attributed this to the visibility of the High Line from surrounding buildings, a feature of urban life espoused by author Jane Jacobs nearly fifty years before. According to Joshua David, "Empty parks are dangerous ... Busy parks are much less so. You're virtually never alone on the High Line." In a review of the Highliner restaurant—which has now reverted to its previous name, the Empire Diner—Ariel Levy wrote in The New Yorker that... "The new Chelsea that is emerging on weekends as visitors flood the elevated park ... [is] touristy, overpriced, and shiny." Projects in other cities The High Line's success in New York City has encouraged leaders in other cities such as Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who sees it as "a symbol and catalyst" for gentrifying neighborhoods. including Philadelphia's Rail Park, Atlanta's Beltline, and Chicago's Bloomingdale Trail. The High Line has helped pioneer the creation of elevated parks worldwide. In Queens, the Queensway (a proposed aerial rail trail) is being considered for reactivation along the right-of-way of the Long Island Rail Road's former Rockaway Beach Branch. Other cities around the world have planned elevated rails-to-trails parks in what has been called the "High Line effect". The conversion of the Tokyo Expressway in Tokyo was also inspired by the High Line. According to some estimates, it costs substantially less to redevelop an abandoned urban rail line into a linear park than to demolish it. In 2016, Friends of the High Line launched the High Line Network to support similar infrastructure re-use projects being developed in other cities. , there are 19 projects in the network, Popular culture The line was depicted in a variety of media before its redevelopment. The 1979 film Manhattan includes a shot of the High Line as director and star Woody Allen speaks the first line: "Chapter One. He adored New York City." Director Zbigniew Rybczyński shot the music video for Art of Noise's single, "Close (to the Edit)" on the line in 1984. In 2001 (two years after the formation of the Friends of the High Line), photographer Joel Sternfeld documented the High Line's flora and dilapidation in his book, Walking the High Line. The book also contains essays by writer Adam Gopnik and historian John R. Stilgoe. Sternfeld's work was regularly discussed and exhibited during the 2000s as the rehabilitation project developed. Kinetics & One Love's 2009 song, "The High Line", uses the line (before its conversion to a park) as an example of nature's reclamation of man-made structures. A number of films and television programs have utilized the High Line since the park opened. In 2011, the television series Louie used it as a setting for one of the title character's dates. Other works with scenes on the High Line since its conversion include The Simpsons 2012 episode "Moonshine River" and the 2012 film What Maisie Knew. ==See also==