Existing comment:
Interim Walkway
The opening of the High Line at the Rail Yards completes the northernmost phase of the park, connecting Gansevoort Street to 34th Street. Unlike the High Line to the south, this section features a simple path through the existing self-seeded plantings. The design celebrates the iconic urban landscape that emerged after the trains stopped running and highlights the expansive views of the Hudson River to the west and the City to the east. There are limited amenities in this section. Public restrooms are located at 16th Street and Gansevoort Street.
Freight Rail on Manhattan's West Side:
The 19th century brought a population boom and rapid growth in manufacturing to New York City. To serve the growing metropolis, freight rail lines were constructed along the city streets and waterfronts. The High Line was built by New York Central Railroad between 1929 and 1934 to eliminate street-level train crossings from 34th Street to Spring Street in an effort to improve both efficiency and public safety.
For years the High Line served as an integral part of Manhattan's industrial landscape -- the "Lifeline of New York." The elevated railway allowed for efficient deliveries of meat, produce, and dairy products into the warehouses and factories up and down the West Side. Yet with the decline of manufacturing in Manhattan, train traffic in the 1950s and 1960s began to decrease on the High Line, and the elevated railway fell into a state of disuse.
In 1999, CSX Transportation, the national rail freight carrier and then-owner of the High Line, commissioned a planning study to assess the reuse of the elevated railway. That study was presented at a Community Board meeting in West Chelsea, inspiring two neighborhood residents, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, to create Friends of the High Line, an organization to advocate for the adaptive re-use of the High Line.
Following years of collaboration with the City of New York and Friends of the High Line, in 2005 CSX donated the High Line to the City of New York, paving the way for the High Line to be opened to the public.
The West Side of Manhattan has been transformed from an industrial district into residential and commercial neighborhoods with new parks and cultural activities. The High Line is a physical reminder of the important role of the railroad in New York City's industrial past. |