August 31, 2002: The High Line
One great thing about blogs is the way that they allow ideas to travel. A few months ago Rosecrans Baldwin posted a photo essay in the Morning News about walking the High Line, a disused but much beloved elevated freight line on the West side of Manhattan. A lot of people saw it, and the folks over at Bluishorange and Queso decided to repeat the walk and post their own photo essays. I saw their pictures a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to finally get it together to walk the High Line today. I'd wanted to walk these tracks since the first time I noticed them back in 1992, during our Junior year at Stuyvesant. This was back before the Meat Packing District and Chelsea were the glam spots they are today- there were hookers a-plenty along 9th and 11th Avenue, and the High Line gave the whole area this amazing feeling of decay. Following the instructions left by our fellow bloggers, we entered the High Line at 33rd and 10th, through a truck yard, and walked the length of the line to where it ends at about 12th Street. There was much climbing over and under various obstructions, but the line felt amazingly serene. It was like a secret world above all the traffic and the noise. It took about an hour and a half to walk the whole thing, and we took plenty of pictures to document the trip.
I've decided to contribute to Friends of the Highline, a group which is fighting to preserve the line. If developers have their way, the tracks will be torn down- another piece of our past gone forever. A much better alternative would be to leave the line as it is, or turn it into an elevated park. The next time you are walking down in Chelsea, think about the secret world above your head. It's worth keeping the line just so people can dream about it.
Comments
>From Friends of the High Line:
"The High Line was built in the 1930s under an agreement between the New York Central Railroad, New York State, and New York City, to elevate dangerous and congesting railroad traffic above city streets. Prior to its construction, Tenth Avenue was known as "Death Avenue" due to the high number of accidents caused by the mix of rail traffic, other vehicles, and pedestrians.
The High Line was part of the larger solution, known as the West Side Improvement Project, which was completed in 1934. The West Side Improvement stretched for 13 miles, extending from Spuyten Duyvil at its northern edge to Spring Street at the south. It eliminated 105 street crossings, added 32 acres to Riverside Park, and served as the "Life Line of New York," bringing food and merchandise into the city.
The rise of trucking in the 1950s led to a drop in rail freight on the High Line, and in the 1960s, the southernmost portion, between Bank and Clarkson Streets, was torn down. The final freight train carried three carloads of frozen turkeys down the High Line in 1980. In 1993, another chunk of the viaduct, between Bank and Little West 12th Streets, was demolished."
It's amazing that the rail line went as far as Clarkson Street- that's two blocks south of Houston Street in West SoHo.
We always pass by and dream that we could own a section of it as an apartment space.
Of course, preservation is preferred. I hope the preservationists win in this one... I was so angry when NYU dismantled the Judson Student House and Edgar Allen Poe residence (the last one standing at the time). For what? To erect a building addition to its already ridiculous real estate.
The pictures from that High Line walk look like a lot of fun. Too bad I was not invited!
Also, can anyone clear up
REVS
COST
for me? What does this graffiti mean? It is all over the place and I have wondered for years.
Revs and Cost were the biggest graffiti artists in the city from 1992-1995. Cost was later arrested and is laying low, but Revs is still doing some stuff with ESPO. Revs is also a great canvas artist and sculptor- he's been around for years. The two of them really blew up when they figured out how to wheatpaste cheaps signs all over the city... although I prefer Revs' rollers.
nice pics of the highline. I'm interested in historical photographs of the highline when it was in operation. Does anyone know of any books or website that might have such pics?
thanks,
warren
I was up the High Line the other day- truly beautiful this time of year- took some pix- http://www.geocities.com/tjaaf69/highline.htm
which show access points.
cheers
tom
www.thomasjfletcher.com
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HIGHLINE BOOKLET THAT WAS
AVAILABLE ON THE WEB.GREAT HISTORY AND PHOTOS.
WOULD BE THANKFUL FOR HELP IN LOCATING IT.
GNYWBC@AOL.COM
GORGEOUR THING! It looks so ancient. I wish I could be there. Its exciting to explore such place where man see the same views as they saw 70 years ago. What a pitty its dump. Hope to make a trip to NYandHighline from this fuckin EU soon. NICE PICS!
GORGEOUR THING! It looks so ancient. I wish I could be there. Its exciting to explore such place where man see the same views as they saw 70 years ago. What a pitty its dump. Hope to make a trip to NYandHighline from this fuckin EU soon. NICE PICS!
hia, architecture student here from london, any info whatsoever regarding the highline and the area along the block running between west16th-west17th street and from the waterfront to broadway would be greatly appreciated. was there last week, not enough time to gather enough info! oh dear.
thanks
How do you get up on the highline tracks? i have explored the area many times and onyl see two possibilities that i would not manage to kill myself on, but i was wondering what the most common way up top is? THank you
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