Take A Walk On The High Line
Did you ever go to Chelsea in Manhattan and question to yourself why an old, rusting elevated railroad line existed in this area?"The High Line" Film
"The High Line", a 6-minute documentary film, offers an excellent overview of High Line, its history, the movement to save it, and designs for its reuse. Directed and produced by John Zieman.
Actor Edward Norton and Friends of the High Line Co-Founder Joshua David walk on the High Line and discuss the project's history and future. Produced as part of GOOD Magazine's debut issue.
Edward Norton on the Charlie Rose Show
A 2003 interview with actor Edward Norton discussing his involvement with Friends of the High Line. Mr. Norton became a supporter in 2001 when he read Adam Gopnick’s article in The New Yorker.
May 21, 2001
New York Journal
A Walk on the High Line [ABSTRACT]
NEW YORK JOURNAL about an abandoned, elevated New York Central Railroad track on the lower West Side that activists are hoping to turn into a park… The archeology of Manhattan is reversed: the past is not buried in the ground but held up in the air, on the upper floors…
by Adam Gopnik
High Line Supporters
Construction Update: View construction photos from the first section of the High Line (Gansevoort to 20th Streets) to open in 2008. Construction on this section began in April 2006 and is currently on-schedule and on-budget.
Walking the High Line: Photographs by Joel Sternfeld. Introduction by Adam Gopnik.In photographs that span four seasons, Sternfeld captures the unique beauty of the spontaneous natural landscape that has gradually seeded itself atop the High Line's elevated tracks since the trains stopped running. This book is currently out of print but copies are available on Amazon.com.
Caution: Do Not Trespass
The High Line is currently owned by the City of New York.
I am not recommending that one climbs up on top of the viaduct to take a walk along the right-of-way. From what I hear, the New York City Police Department doesn't take a liking to these actions, and it could possibly get a person arrested for trespassing.
It is not (yet) open to the public.
Post Script:
There are two competing groups that have different agendas for determining the fate of the High Line. Friends of the High Line would like to see the High Line remain intact. The Chelsea Property Owners group, which represents businesses in the area, would like to see the line demolished. Recently the Chelsea Property Owners, a group of property owners demanding demolition of the High Line since 1989, acknowledged that it might drop its opposition to saving the 70-year-old structure. The Bloomberg administration has been suggesting to owners of property under the High Line that their development rights could be transferred to other sites. In the past Mayor Rudolph Giuliani wanted to see the High Line razed. Each concern has their own reasons as to why they take their positions.
The Friends of the High Line are working with the Rails-to-Trails program in order to secure the High Line with a Rails-to-Trails designation. The Chelsea Property Owners would like to use the ROW (right-of-way) and air rights over the line for commercial and residential development. The long gone (good-writens) Mayor Giuliani wanted the line taken down because he felt it was an eyesore to the community. He also felt that if the line were to be taken down, continued economic development in the area would result, stimulated by extra property that would be gained by razing the line.
On November 16, 2005 the Bloomberg administration released the following announcement:
MAYOR BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CITY ACQUIRES HIGH LINE
FROM CSX TRANSPORTATION
Trail Use Agreement Signed Permitting Recreational Uses on the Elevated Rail Structure;
Transformation into Public Open Space to Begin in 2006
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced that the City of New York acquired title to the High Line elevated rail viaduct from CSX Transportation, Inc. this month. CSX donated the High Line to the City, and the transfer of ownership clears the way for the structure's transformation into a public open space to begin in 2006. Open space on the High Line will run from Gansevoort Street in Manhattan's Meatpacking District through West Chelsea to the Hudson Yards. In addition, the City and CSX signed a Trail Use Agreement, permitting the rail structure to be used by the public as a recreational amenity. The first section of the High Line is projected to open to the public in 2008. Read More Here...
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High Line Reuse Picks Up Steam
Under previous administrations, the city had sided with property owners who saw the rusting steel structure just west of 10th Ave., last used for freight in 1980, as a blight on the neighborhood. Indeed, in one of its last official acts in 2001, the Giuliani administration signed an agreement joining the property owners’ move to demolish the High Line.
“Back in 1989 city officials said the High Line had to come down. What has changed in 14 years?” asked Roger Nober, S.T.B. chairperson. Read More Here...
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Precedent in Paris:
During the early 1990s, the city of Paris successfully converted a similar elevated rail viaduct near the Bastille opera house into a three-mile pedestrian walkway called the Promenade Plantée. It crosses the entire 12th arrondissement from the Place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes at the eastern edge of Paris. For more images, visit the Promenade Plantée Gallery.
