High Line

The rail yards section will extend the High Line’s distinct design vocabulary established south of West 30th Street, evoking the High Line’s history as an active freight rail line, and the unique self-seeded landscape that grew between the tracks when the trains stopped running in the 1980s.

We have made major advances at the rail yards this summer.

Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn announced that the City of New York has acquired the High Line at the rail yards from CSX Transportation, Inc., bringing us one step closer toward starting construction. Our next steps are fundraising to pay for transforming the rail yards section into a public park, and collaborating on the design with our City partners and the team of James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf.

Last night we presented the latest design renderings at community input meeting, where more than 200 supporters joined us to share feedback and ask questions.

Follow us after the jump to view some of the new design renderings.

The High Line, looking south from West 23rd Street. Photo by Iwan Baan.

In case you missed it, last month Travel + Leisure named the High Line as No. 10 on its list of the world’s most popular landmarks.

High Line Umbrella Sale!

Get a discounted rate off our limited-edition High Line Opening Season Umbrella!

Dear Friends,

2009 has been a remarkable year for the High Line. After spending the spring working on the final stages of construction, we opened the first section of the park in June. Since then, we estimate that nearly 2 million people have visited. We hope you were among these first visitors to the High Line, and that you return again and again in 2010.

The High Line's first year as a public park has been truly amazing. We've pulled together some of our favorite pictures from this incredible, historic year. We hope you enjoy them!

We hope you'll continue to support the High Line as we prepare for 2010.

Many thanks, and happy New Year,

Park visitors stroll and relax on the Diller von Furstenberg Sundeck between 14th and 15th Streets. The Sundeck is one of the High Line's most popular gathering spots, especially for sunbathers on bright summer days, and as a place to watch the sunset. Photo by Iwan Baan

"...The High Line is a hit, and not just with tourists but with New Yorkers who are openly relishing a place where they can reflect and relax enough to get a new perspective on Manhattan."
– Diane Cardwell, For High Line Visitors, Park is a Railway Out of Manhattan, New York Times

In addition to all the shoveling the High Line staff did to keep the park open this weekend, our temporary Maintenance & Operations facility has been moved down to the southern entrance of the High Line, at street level. In order to get ready for the joining of Section 1 to Section 2 (still under construction) the M&O trailers (where our gardeners, maintenance workers, and Rangers house equipment and offices) were moved 10 blocks south, just west of the Gansevoort Stairway.

M&O container being lifted off of the 20th Street location and moved to ground level
at Gansevoort & Washington Streets. Photo by Jenny Staley.

The trailers and containers were crane-lifted off the High Line and loaded onto flatbed trucks that transported everything to their new southern location, where they will rest until construction for the new Whitney Museum begins at Gansevoort and Washington Street, adjacent to the High Line.

Container being set down into its new location just west of the Gansevoort Entrance.
Photo by Jenny Staley.