The High Line, a 1.45-mile former train track 30 feet above Manhattan's West Side (Joel Sternfeld, Friends of the High Line)

Slated for demolition 14 years ago, a 1.45-mile elevated railroad track in Manhattan has gone from lost cause to cause célèbre.

On Friday, four architects will unveil their designs for the High Line, a 1930s viaduct that has been abandoned since 1980.

The Friends of the High Line, a nonprofit founded to protect the structure and the open space it affords New Yorkers, last year held a competition that generated 720 ideas for the structure. In March, the group announced its search for a team to oversee the development of the High Line and selected four finalists from 52 entries. The candidate's designs, which include touches such as a swimming pool, tiered plaza, and Aspen grove, will be displayed at the Center for Architecture in New York until August 14.

Next month, the group and members of the city planning commission will select a winning team to develop a master plan for the High Line. Rehabilitating the High Line will cost $40 million, Friends of the High Line estimates.

Read more about the High Line on Preservation Online >>