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High Line Facts
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Constructed 1929-1934 |
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Spans 22 blocks, from 34th Street to Gansevoort Street |
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1.45 miles long |
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6.7 acres of space atop elevated rail deck |
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30-60 feet wide and 18-30 feet high |
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Built to support 2 fully loaded freight trains |
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Primary construction materials: steel and reinforced concrete |
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Owner: The City of New York |
The Vision
Friends of the High Line believes the historic High Line rail structure offers New Yorkers the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind recreational amenity: a grand, public promenade that can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors in New York City.
When the High Line is converted to public open space, you will be able to rise up from the streets and step into a place apart, tranquil and green. You will see the Hudson River, the Manhattan skyline, and secret gardens inside city blocks as you've never seen them before. You will move between Penn Station and the Hudson River Park, from the convention center to the Gansevoort Market Historic District, without meeting a car or truck. The High Line will be a promenade—a linear public place where you will see and be seen. You will sense New York's industrial past in the rivets and girders. You will perceive the future unrolling before you in an artfully designed environment of unprecedented innovation. It will be yours—public in the truest sense of the word. Public dollars helped build it in the 1930s. Public legislation empowers us to make it a place anyone can visit. It will be proof New York City no longer casts aside its priceless transportation infrastructure but instead creates bold new uses for these monuments to human power and ambition.
High Line District
The High Line runs through three of Manhattan's most dynamic neighborhoods: Hell's Kitchen/Hudson Yards, West Chelsea, and the Gansevoort Market Historic District. When the High Line was built in the 1930s, these neighborhoods were dominated by industrial and transportation uses. Now many of the warehouses and factories have been converted to art galleries, design studios, retailers, restaurants, museums, and residences.
In 2002, a group of business-owners in the High Line District joined together to advocate for the High Line's preservation and reuse. Called the Chelsea-Village Business Owners (CVBO), the group now includes over 250 High Line District businesses.
CVBO members assert that the High Line is an integral part of the historic identity of the neighborhood and that its conversion to public space will be an asset to their businesses. The reused High Line will bring new customers to the district, boosting its reputation as a world-renowned destination for cultural institutions, art galleries, technologically advanced businesses, restaurants, entertainment venues, and new residences. The High Line's linkage of three neighborhoods and the distinctive image it provides will offer new opportunities for individual businesses and the group as a whole to market their products.
In 2003, CVBO members created a High Line District Map showcasing the area's vibrant business community and its relationship to the High Line. View the High Line District Map.
The High Line north of 14th Street is located within the district of Manhattan Community Board No. 4. For information on Community Board No. 4, go to http://www.manhattancb4.org.
The High Line south of 14th Street is located within the district of Manhattan Community Board No. 2. For more information on Community Board No. 2, call their district office at (212) 979-2272.
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 our Promenade Plantée Gallery.
Before
The City of Paris had an out-of-use elevated rail viaduct that looked a lot like the High Line.
After
Paris turned it into a popular new park during the 1990s. Now you'll find Parisians strolling atop the formerly abandoned rail structure, amid fragrant plantings of roses, azaleas, and rosemary.
The Promenade Plantée Offers Answers
Will people use an elevated park?
Yes. The Promenade Plantée is one of Paris's most popular parks. When planners of the Promenade Plantée were asked if they made any mistakes, they answered: Not anticipating how many people would want to use it.
Will it be safe?
Yes. Because the Promenade Plantée is attracts so many people, it always feels safe. Staff patrols and closed-circuit cameras provide additional security.
Will it be worth the investment?
Yes. The Promenade Plantée helped revitalize the surrounding neighborhood, inspiring new residents and business to move to the area.
For more information about the Promenade Plantée, visit their Web site.
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Support the High Line
By becoming a Charter Member of Friends of the High Line, you will become part of an ever-growing group of supporters working to make the High Line vision a reality.
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Do Not Trespass
The High Line is currently owned by the City of New York. It is not open to the public. Please do not trespass. |
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