34th Street Entrance |
New York City used to be a center of manufacturing and
shipping, and the part of Manhattan known as Chelsea played a key role in all
of it. Situated along the piers of the Hudson River, its warehouses and
factories were well placed. Today, most of the buildings are used for other
purposes, but they left behind something that has been turned into a jewel - The High Line.
Chelsea takes its name from the estate of Thomas Clarke, a
retired British general, who bought the land there in 1750, and named it after
the Royal Hospital Chelsea a home for
retired soldiers in London. Clarke is probably best known as the grandfather of
Clement Clarke Moore,
who wrote A Visit From St.
Nicholas, and who was born and lived in the area. As the
neighborhood was developed during the early 1800’s, warehouses were constructed
along the new piers that were being built on the Hudson River. By 1860, Chelsea
was home to distilleries of turpentine and camphene, and a huge complex that
converted coal to gas. To service these businesses, the Hudson
River Railroad built freight tracks from 35th street
south to Spring Street, in between 10th and 11th Avenues.
UnknownUnknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Chelsea continued to grow, both as an industrial area and as
a home to working people. The street level right-of way became more and more
dangerous. In 1929, New York City decided to construct an elevated rail line,
along with the elevated West Side Highway. The line was built through the
center of the blocks, and this allowed trains to pull up directly to the
buildings to load and unload materials, keeping traffic off of the local
streets. The tracks were in use from 1933 until they were closed by Conrail in
1980 and the right of way was abandoned at that time. In true New York fashion,
its future was mired in court cases for 12 years after it closed. While
southernmost section had been demolished in 1960, and several more blocks came
down in 1991, the tracks still stretched from 35th Street south to Gansevoort
Street. During that time, while it was officially closed to the public, nature
began to reassert itself. Wild grasses, shrubs and trees grew along and among
the tracks. It also became a place where “urban explorers” walked among the
flora and fauna during the day, and raves took place at night.
Old Tracks |
During the 1990’s, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, at the behest of real
estate interests, pushed to demolish the rail line. In 1999 local residents
formed The Friends of the Highline.
They began to organize to have the rail line, which was still structurally
sound, to be repurposed as a park/greenway, similar to the Promenade
PlanteƩ in Paris. The
group received a huge boost when Diane von Furstenberg and her husband Barry
Diller, threw their support behind the effort, and also from the photography
project by Joel Sternfield, who spent a year documenting the
resurgent growth of nature along the structure. They movement was able to hold
off the developers until 2004, Michael Bloomberg, who was elected mayor in
2002, committed $50 million to help create the park. Altogether Friends of the
Highline raised $150 million for this project.
The first section of the Highline Park opened in 2009, from Gansevoort
Street north to 20th street. Today it spans the entire length of the
rail line, 1.5 miles north to 35th street. It offers a unique view
of the city, as passes between, among and sometimes through the old industrial
buildings of Chelsea. Visitors can also walk by some of the newest buildings in
NYC, as the construction boom along New York’s West Side continues. In building
the park, the
designers left much of the natural growth in place. They built a
path that weaves through the grasses, trees, and the original rail lines.
West Side Railyard and The Vessel |
The Vessel and The Shed |
Even though it can get crowded at times, this is New York
City after all, I really enjoy walking the Highline. It offers everything I
love about the city. It is a great place to people watch, especially at the
spots offer seats or overlook 10th Ave. Visitors become engrossed in
watching the traffic below. To me this is a great chance to take photos of
people who are lost in their own world. The Highline also provides the
opportunity to see the working sides of architecture. The park takes you past
the sides of building that were meant to be hidden from public, and designed
for to function as a part of industries they supported. Finally, the Highline
also gives a hint to just how quickly the natural world undo the work that
humanity put in covering it up.
Head over to the far, west side of the Chelsea neighborhood
of Manhattan. Climb (or take an elevator) up to The Highline. It is not an
escape from the city, but it offers a fresh view of what surrounds us.
Getting There:
The Highline has many entrances along its length. Its
northern end is on 34th street between 11th and 12th
Ave. Take the #7 train to the 34th Street Hudson Yards Station. Walk
west 1 block along 34th Street. Its southern end is at Gansevoort
Street and Washington Street. Take the #A, C, E to 14th street. Walk
west to Washington Street, turn right and walk south to Gansevoort (about 0.5
miles).
Great historical background and photos. Especially love the images of contemporary Chelsea. Shows what can be done when we stop the incessant need to destroy the past in a greedy need to rebuild for profit. The restoration of this space as a public park is the best part of this whole story.
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