| High Line | |
|---|---|
 The High Line by 18th Street | |
Interactive route mapInteractive route map  High Line route and entrances Hover over each pin for information | |
| Type | Elevated urbanlinear park;public park |
| Location | Manhattan,New York City, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°44′53″N74°00′17″W / 40.7480°N 74.0047°W /40.7480; -74.0047 |
| Area | A linear 1.45-mile (2.33 km) stretch ofviaduct[1] |
| Created | 2009; 16 years ago (2009) |
| Operated by | New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |
| Visitors | 8 million (2019)[2] |
| Status | Operating |
| Public transit access | New York City Subway: 34th St–Hudson Yards (   trains) at park's north end14th Street–Eighth Avenue (     trains) near park's south endNew York City Bus:M11,M12,M14A,M14D,M23 SBS,M34 SBS at various places |
| Website | thehighline.org |
TheHigh Line is a 1.45-mile-long (2.33 km) elevatedlinear park,greenway, andrail trail created on a formerNew York Central Railroad spur on theWest Side ofManhattan in New York City. The High Line's design is a collaboration betweenJames Corner Field Operations,Diller Scofidio + Renfro, andPiet Oudolf. The abandoned spur has been redesigned as a "living system" drawing from multiple disciplines which include landscape architecture,urban design, andecology. The High Line was inspired by the 4.7 km (2.9 mi) longCoulée verte (tree-lined walkway), anotherelevated park inParis completed in 1993.
The park is built on an abandoned, southernviaduct section of the New York Central Railroad'sWest Side Line. Originating in theMeatpacking District, the park runs fromGansevoort Street—three blocks below14th Street—throughChelsea to the northern edge of theWest Side Yard on34th Street near theJavits Center. The West Side Line formerly extended south to a railroad terminal atSpring Street, just north ofCanal Street, and north to35th Street at the site of the Javits Center. Due to a decline in rail traffic along the rest of the viaduct, it was effectively abandoned in 1980 when the construction of the Javits Center required the demolition of the viaduct's northernmost portion. The southern portion of the viaduct was demolished in segments during the late 20th century.
Anonprofit organization calledFriends of the High Line was formed in 1999 by Joshua David andRobert Hammond, advocating its preservation and reuse as public open space, an elevated park or greenway. Celebrity New Yorkers joined in on fundraising and support for the concept. The administration of MayorMichael Bloomberg announced plans for a High Line park in 2003. Repurposing the railway into an urban park began in 2006 and opened in phases during 2009, 2011, and 2014. The Spur, an extension of the High Line that originally connected with the Morgan General Mail Facility atTenth Avenue and 30th Street, opened in 2019. The Moynihan Connector, extending east from the Spur toMoynihan Train Hall, opened in 2023.
Since opening in June 2009, the High Line has become an icon of American contemporary landscape architecture. The High Line's success has inspired cities throughout the United States to redevelop obsolete infrastructure as public space. The park became atourist attraction and spurredreal estate development in adjacent neighborhoods, increasing real-estate values and prices along the route. By September 2014, the park had nearly five million visitors annually, and by 2019, it had eight million visitors per year.
The High Line extends for 1.45 miles (2.33 km) from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street.[1] At 30th Street the elevated tracks turn west around theHudson Yards Redevelopment Project[3] to theJacob K. Javits Convention Center on34th Street.[4] As proposed, the park was to be integrated with the Hudson Yards development and theHudson Park and Boulevard.[5] If Hudson Yards' Western Rail Yard is built, it will be elevated above the High Line Park, so an exit along the viaduct over theWest Side Yard will lead to the Western Rail Yard.[6] The 34th Street entrance is at grade, with wheelchair access.[4][6]
The park is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. through the warmer months, and until 8:00 p.m. in winter. It can be reached through eleven entrances, five of which are accessible to people with disabilities. The wheelchair-accessible entrances, each with stairs and an elevator, are atGansevoort,14th, 16th,23rd, and 30th Streets. Additional staircase-only entrances are located at 18th, 20th, 26th, and 28th Streets, and11th Avenue. Street-level access is available at 34th Street via the Interim Walkway, which runs from 30th Street and 11th Avenue to 34th Street west of 11th Avenue.[4][7]
At the Gansevoort Street end (which runs north–south), the stub over Gansevoort Street is named theTiffany and Co. Foundation Overlook[4] and was dedicated in July 2012; the foundation was a major supporter of the park.[8][9] The southern terminus of the park also contains a small wooded area called the Gansevoort Woodland.[10] The route then passes underThe Standard, High Line hotel[11][12] and through a passage at 14th Street.[4] At 14th Street, the High Line splits into two sides at different elevations;[13] the Diller-Von Furstenberg Water Feature (opened in 2010) is on the lower side, and asundeck is on the upper side.[14]
The route passes through the west edge of theChelsea Market, a food hall, at 15th Street.[4][15] A spur, connecting the viaduct to theNational Biscuit Company building and closed to the public, splits off at 16th Street.[13] The railroad tracks on the spur are left in situ but the trackbeds are planted with greenery. The Tenth Avenue Square, anamphitheater on the viaduct, is at 17th Street where the High Line crosses over Tenth Avenue from southeast to northwest.[4][13] At the 23rd StreetLawn, visitors can rest.[4][16] Between 25th and 26th Streets a ramp takes visitors above the viaduct, with a scenic overlook facing east at 26th Street. ThePhilip Falcone and Lisa Maria FalconeFlyover, named after two major donors to the park,[4][13] was based on plans for a Phase 1 flyover which was never built.[17]
The park then curves west to Phase 3 and merges into the Tenth Avenue Spur, which stretches over 30th Street to Tenth Avenue.[18][19] The Tenth Avenue Spur is composed of three parts: the Coach Passage, with 60-foot-tall (18 m) ceilings; the High Line's largest planted garden; and a plaza with temporary art exhibitions that get replaced every 18 months.[20] The art exhibition space is named the Plinth, an allusion to London'sFourth plinth, which also displays temporary art.[21][22] Phase 3 has another ramp taking visitors above the viaduct at 11th Avenue and a play area with rail ties and the Pershing Beams (modified,silicone-coveredbeams andstanchions coming out of the structure), a gathering space with benches, and a set of three railroad tracks where one can walk between the rails.[23][24][25] The play area also has aseesaw-like bench and a "chime bench", with keys which make sounds when tapped.[1] The Interim Walkway, from 11th Avenue and 30th Street to 34th Street divides the viaduct into two sides: agravel walkway and an undeveloped section with rail tracks. The temporary walkway closed for renovation when the Tenth Avenue Spur was completed.[26] The High Line turns north to a point just east of Twelfth Avenue. At 34th Street it curves east and descends, ending at street level midway between 12th and 11th Avenues.[4]
The High Line Moynihan Connector, a walkway from the Tenth Avenue Spur toMoynihan Train Hall at Ninth Avenue, opened in June 2023.[27][28] The 1,200-foot (370 m) spur runs east along 30th Street for one block toDyer Avenue.[29] The span above 30th Street uses a V-shaped structure called the Woodlands Bridge, which contains a 5-foot-deep (1.5 m) planting bed. The walkway then turns north to 31st Street across the Timber Bridge, a span shaped like aWarren truss.[30] It terminates at a public space withinManhattan West that ends at the west side of Ninth Avenue, directly across from Moynihan Train Hall.[31][32]
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The landscape design wascurated by Dutch landscape architectPiet Oudolf usingnatural landscaping techniques.[10][33] includes sturdymeadow plants (such as clump-forming grasses,liatris, andconeflowers) and scattered stands ofsumac andsmokebush and is not limited tonative plants. At the Gansevoort Street end, a grove of mixed species ofbirch provides shade by late afternoon.[33]
The High Line viaduct had 161 species of plants before it was converted into a park; the modern park has about 400 species of plants, including grasses and trees.[34] There are about 100,000 unique specimens of plants.[34] Each species is selected based on their appearance,[35] in addition to how well they survive throughout the year.[34] The park has a team of 10horticulturists, who trim and prune the plants throughout the year to prevent overgrowth.[34][10] Throughout the park, the soil has an average depth of 18 inches (460 mm).[34][35][10] The park usessustainable landscaping andorganic lawn management techniques to maintain the space. Native fauna documented in the park include 33 native bee species, butterflies includingpainted ladies, and migratory birds includingwarblers.[10]
The park's attractions include naturalized plantings, inspired by plants which grew on the disused tracks,[37] and views of the city and theHudson River. Thepebble-dash concrete walkways swell and constrict, swing from side to side, and divide into concrete tines which meld thehardscape with plantings embedded in railroad-gravelmulch. "By opening the paving, we allow the plants to bleed through," said landscape architect James Corner, "almost as if the plants were colonizing the paved areas. There's a sort of blending or bleeding or suturing between the hard paving, the surface for people to stroll on, and the planting ... "[38] Stretches of track and ties recall the High Line's former use, and portions of track are re-used for rolling lounges positioned for river views.[39] The benches use BrazilianIpê timber,[40][41] which came from a managed forest certified by theForest Stewardship Council.[33] According to James Corner Field Operations, the High Line's design "is characterized by an intimate choreography of movement."[42]
The High Line also has cultural attractions as part of a long-term plan for the park to host temporary installations and performances.Creative Time, Friends of the High Line, and theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation commissionedThe River That Flows Both Ways bySpencer Finch as the inaugural art installation..[43][44] It has also hosted events such as a pigeon-themed festival,[45] as well as a series of conservation-themed activities.[46]
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The High Line exhibits numerous pieces of artwork through its public-artwork subsidiary High Line Art, whose curator since 2011 has beenCecilia Alemani.[47] A mid-2010 sound installation byStephen Vitiello was composed from bells heard throughout New York. Lauren Ross, former director of the alternative art spaceWhite Columns, was the High Line's firstcurator.[48] During the construction of the second phase (between 20th and 30th Streets) several artworks were installed, includingSarah Sze'sStill Life with Landscape (Model for a Habitat): a steel-and-wood sculpture near 20th and 21st Streets built as a house for fauna such as birds and butterflies.Kim Beck'sSpace Available[49] was installed on the roofs of three buildings visible from the southern end. Three 20-by-12-foot (6.1 by 3.7 m) sculptures, resembling the armature of empty billboards and constructed like theater backdrops, looks three-dimensional from a distance.[50][51] Also installed during the second phase of construction wasJulianne Swartz'sDigital Empathy, a work utilizing audio messages at restrooms, elevators, and water fountains.[52] Maine artistCharlie Hewitt's sculptureUrban Rattle was permanently installed in 2013.[53]
In 2012 and 2013, the Ghanaian born Nigerian artistEl Anatsui's large scale sculptureBroken Bridge ll (at the time his largest work to date) fashioned from recycled pressed tin and broken mirrors was positioned on a wall on the west side of the street between 21st and 22nd streets, facing and sidelining the High Line.[54][44] In 2016Tony Matelli's controversial sculptureSleepwalker was exhibited upon the High Line.[55] Max Hooper Schneider's aquarium was displayed on the linear park in 2017.[56] The next year, the High Line hosted the British sculptorPhyllida Barlow's first public commission,Prop.[57] High Line Art also displays artwork on a billboard near 18th Street and 10th Avenue.[58]
In 2024-25 iván argote’s giant hyperealustic aluminum pigeon sculpture titled "Dinosaur" graced the Plith.[59]In June 2025 in conjuction with this sculpture the High Line held New York City's first Human "Pigeon Impersonator Contest".[60] In 2025Mika Rottenberg'sFoot Fountain (pink) was exhibited on the High Line.[61]
In 1847, the City of New York authorized the construction of railroad tracks alongTenth andEleventh Avenues on Manhattan's West Side. The street-level tracks were used by theNew York Central Railroad's freight trains, which shipped commodities such as coal, dairy products, and beef.[63][64] For safety the railroad hired "West Side cowboys", men who rode horses and waved flags in front of the trains.[65] However, so many accidents occurred between freight trains and other traffic that the nickname "Death Avenue" was given to Tenth[66][67] and Eleventh Avenues.[63] In 1910, one organization estimated that there had been 548 deaths and 1,574 injuries over the years along Eleventh Avenue.[63]
Public debate about the hazard began during the early 1900s.[68] In 1929 the city, the state, and New York Central agreed on the West Side Improvement Project,[64] conceived by New York City park commissionerRobert Moses.[69] The 13-mile (21 km) project eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings, added 32 acres (13 ha) toRiverside Park, and included construction of theWest Side Elevated Highway.[70] The plans also included the construction of theSt. John's Freight Terminal atSpring Street,[71] which was completed in 1936[72] and replaced the street-levelSt. John's Park Terminal in present-dayTribeca.[73] The West Side Improvement cost more than $150 million,[70] worth about $2.75 billion in 2024 dollars.[74] The last stretch of street-level track was removed from Eleventh Avenue in 1941.[68]
The first train on the High Line viaduct, part of New York Central'sWest Side Line, ran along the structure in 1933.[75] The elevated structure was dedicated on June 29, 1934, and was the first part of the West Side Improvement Project to be completed.[76] The High Line, which originally ran from35th Street to St. John's Freight Terminal,[77] was designed to go through the center of blocks rather than over an avenue.[76][65] As a result, the viaduct's construction necessitated the demolition of 640 buildings.[76][68] It connected directly to factories and warehouses, allowing trains to load and unload inside buildings. Milk, meat, produce, and raw and manufactured goods could be transported and unloaded without disturbing street traffic.[65] This reduced the load on theBell Laboratories Building (which has housed theWestbeth Artists Community since 1970)[78] and the formerNabisco plant inChelsea Market, which were served from protected sidings in the buildings.[67][79]
The line also passed under theWestern Electric complex at Washington Street. Although the section still existed as of May 2008[update], it is not connected to the developed park.[67][62]
The growth of interstate trucking during the 1950s led to a drop in rail traffic throughout the U.S.[75] St. John's Freight Terminal was abandoned in 1960,[80] and the southernmost section of the line was demolished in the following decade due to low use.[81] The West Village Apartments were then built on part of the former segment'sright of way.[82] The demolished section began atBank Street and ran downWashington Street toSpring Street (just north ofCanal Street).[83]
By 1978, the High Line viaduct was used to deliver just two carloads of cargo per week. The viaduct was shut down in 1980, when ownerConrail had to disconnect the viaduct from the rest of the national rail system for a year. The closure was necessitated as a result of the construction ofJavits Center at 34th Street, which required that the curve at 35th Street be rebuilt.[75] The last train on the viaduct was a three-carconsist carrying frozen turkeys.[65][67][82] During the time the viaduct was disconnected, two large customers along the route moved to New Jersey.[75] The curve to the viaduct from 35th Street was demolished during the construction of Javits Center and was replaced by the current curve at 34th Street.[77] The tracks leading to the High Line were reconnected in 1981, but as there were no more customers along the route, the curve at 34th Street was never completed, and the viaduct did not see any further usage.[75] At this point, Conrail still owned the right of way and the tracks.[65][67][82]
During the mid-1980s, a group of property owners with land under the line lobbied for the demolition of the entire structure. Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist, and railroad enthusiast, challenged the demolition efforts in court and tried to re-establish rail service on the line.[65][82][84] Obletz offered to buy the viaduct for $10 in order to run a small amount of freight trains on the line, and Conrail accepted, mainly because demolition would have cost $5 million. However, this offer was also disputed in court. By 1988, theMetropolitan Transportation Authority was negotiating with Conrail for the possibility for using the line'sright of way to construct alight rail route.[75] These negotiations did not proceed further, and by the end of the 1980s, it was expected that the High Line would be demolished.[85]
As part of the construction of theEmpire Connection toPenn Station, which opened in spring 1991, the West Side Line tracks north of 35th Street were routed to the new Empire Connection tunnel to Penn Station. A small section of the High Line in theWest Village, fromBank toGansevoort Streets, was taken apart in 1991 despite objections by preservationists.[86] The remaining riveted-steel elevated structure was unused and in disrepair during the 1990s, but it remained structurally sound. Around this time, it became known tourban explorers and local residents for the tough, drought-tolerant wild grasses, shrubs (such assumac) and rugged trees which had sprung up in the gravel along the abandoned railway. The administration of mayorRudy Giuliani planned to demolish the structure.[67][87] TheInterstate Commerce Commission approved plans to demolish the structure in 1992, but demolition was delayed due to disputes between various city government agencies and the railroad companies. Ownership of the viaduct ultimately passed toCSX Transportation in 1999.[88]
Anonprofit organization calledFriends of the High Line[65] was formed in October 1999 by Joshua David andRobert Hammond.[88] They advocated its preservation and reuse as public open space, an elevated park orgreenway similar to thePromenade Plantée inParis.[89][90][91] The concept also drew inspiration fromLandschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, Germany—a precedent for urban and industrial repurposing in modern landscaping.[92] The organization was initially a small community group advocating the High Line's preservation and transformation when the structure was threatened with demolition duringRudy Giuliani's second term as mayor.[93] In 2000,[88] CSX Transportation gave photographerJoel Sternfeld permission to photograph it for a year. Sternfeld's photographs of its meadow-like natural beauty, discussed in an episode of the documentary seriesGreat Museums, were used at public meetings when the subject of saving the High Line was discussed.[94]Mary Boone's art gallery, as well asMartha Stewart andEdward Norton, hosted fundraising benefits for the High Line in 2001 and 2002 respectively.[88] Fashion designerDiane von Fürstenberg (who had moved her New York City headquarters to theMeatpacking District in 1997) and her husband,Barry Diller, also organized fundraising events in her studio.[94]
In 2003, Friends of the High Line sponsored a design competition that attracted more than 720 participants from 38 countries.[81][95] Proposals included a sculpture garden, an elongated swimming pool, and a linear amusement park/campground.[81][96] In July 2003, Edward Norton andRobert Caro hosted a benefit event atGrand Central Terminal, where the submissions for the design contest were exhibited.[88] The same month, a bipartisan group of city officials began petitioning the federalSurface Transportation Board to hand over title to the viaduct for park use.[97] In anticipation of this handover, the administration of MayorMichael Bloomberg announced plans for a High Line park that September.[98] The following year, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park. Mayor Bloomberg andCity Council speakersGifford Miller andChristine C. Quinn were among the major supporters. Fundraising for the park raised a total of over $150 million (equivalent to $219,846,000 in 2024).[99] The Surface Transportation Board issued a certificate of interimtrail use on June 13, 2005, allowing the city to remove most of the line from the national rail system.[100] Ownership officially passed from CSX to the city that November.[101]
On April 10, 2006, Mayor Bloomberg presided over a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction. The park was designed byJames Corner's New York-basedlandscape architecture firm Field Operations and architectsDiller Scofidio + Renfro, withgarden design byPiet Oudolf of the Netherlands, lighting design fromL'Observatoire International,[102] and engineering design byBuro Happold[103] and Robert Silman Associates.[104]New York City Department of City Planning director and city planning commission chairAmanda Burden contributed to the project's development.[105][106] Major supporters includedPhilip Falcone,[107] Diane von Fürstenberg, Barry Diller, and von Fürstenberg's childrenAlexander andTatiana von Fürstenberg.[108] Hotel developerAndre Balazs, owner of theChateau Marmont inLos Angeles, built the 337-roomStandard Hotel straddling the High Line at West 13th Street.[11]
The southernmost section, from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, opened as a city park on June 8, 2009.[109] The section includes five stairways and elevators at 14th Street and 16th Street.[4] Around the same time, construction of the second section began.[110] A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on June 7, 2011, to open the second section (from 20th Street to 30th Street), with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City Council speakerChristine Quinn, Manhattan Borough PresidentScott Stringer and CongressmanJerrold Nadler in attendance.[111][112]CSX Transportation, owner of the northernmost section from 30th to 34th Streets, agreed in principle to donate the section to the city in 2011;[108]the Related Companies, which owns development rights for the West Side Rail Yards, agreed not to tear down the spur crossing 10th Avenue.[113] Construction on the final section was started in September 2012.[114][115]
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A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the High Line's third phase was held on September 20, 2014,[116][117] followed the next day by the opening of its third section and a procession down the park.[118][119][116] The third phase, costing $76 million, was divided into two parts.[6] The first part (costing $75 million)[120] is from the end of phase 2 of the line to its terminus at 34th Street, west of 11th Avenue.[6][121][122] The second part, a spur aboveTenth Avenue and 30th Street, has room to install artworks curated by the public art program.[123][124][125] The spur was scheduled to open by 2018,[18] but was then delayed to April 2019,[19] and later to June 2019.[126] It opened on June 4, 2019, with the installation of aplinth as its initial artwork.[127][20] It contains entrances to10 Hudson Yards,[128] built above the spur.[129]
The High Line closed temporarily in early 2020 during theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City; while most parks remained open during the pandemic, the High Line is a linear park with few means to spread out forsocial distancing measures.[130][131] The High Line reopened on July 16, 2020, with limited capacity: the section between Gansevoort and 23rd streets was only open to visitors with timed-entry passes. Visitors were able to walk only northbound from Gansevoort Street, with the other access points being for egress only.[132]
During the pandemic, a team of 60 people hosted aZoom call twice a week to plan an extension of the High Line.[133] On January 11, 2021, GovernorAndrew Cuomo announced proposals to extend the High Line east toMoynihan Train Hall and north toHudson River Park.[29][134] The 1,200-foot (370 m) Moynihan Connector was planned to cost $60 million and run east to Ninth Avenue. A second spur would diverge from the Phase 3 walkway at 34th Street, running north to the Javits Center and then turning west to cross the West Side Highway to Hudson River Park.[29][135] When the spurs were announced, neither of the projects had been funded.[29] As of September 2021, the Moynihan Connector was funded and was projected to be completed in early 2023 at a cost of $50 million.[31][136] A groundbreaking for the Moynihan Connector occurred on February 24, 2022,[137][138] although major construction did not begin until later the same year.[30] The Moynihan Connector opened on June 22, 2023.[139]
The line is maintained by Friends of the High Line, which was founded by Joshua David and Robert Hammond.[65][88][140] The organization is credited with saving the structure by rallying public support for the park and convincing MayorMichael Bloomberg's administration in 2002 to support the project by filing a request with the Surface Transportation Board to create a public trail on the site.[93] Friends of the High Line played a role in the line's visual aesthetic, holding a competition in conjunction with the city of New York in 2004 to determine the design team which would lead the project.[93] Since the park's opening in 2009, Friends of the High Line has had an agreement with theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation to serve as its primary steward.[141] The organization is responsible for the daily operation and maintenance of the park, with an annual budget of over $5 million.[142] It has an annual operating budget of $11.5 million, in addition to capital construction and management and fundraising expenses.[65]
Friends of the High Line has raised more than $150 million in public and private funds[65] toward the construction of the first two sections of the park.[142] Unlike the first two phases, to which the city significantly contributed, Friends of the High Line was responsible for raising funds for phase three (an estimated $35 million).[116] The organization raises over 90 percent of the High Line's annual operating budget from private donations.[141][143] When the city donated $5 million to the High Line in 2012, there was criticism that most city parks had received less funding that year, especially since Friends of the High Line had raised an extra $85 million that year.[143]
The organization has an office onWashington Street, near the park's southern end.[144] It has 80 full-time, year-round employees and about 150 full-time summer employees.[144] Friends of the High Line has been run by president and co-founder Josh David after executive director Jenny Gersten stepped down in 2014.[145] Co-founder Robert Hammond served as executive director until he stepped down in February 2013.[142] Friends of the High Line has a 38-member board of directors consisting of many New York City businesspeople and philanthropists, includingAmanda Burden of Bloomberg Associates,Jane Lauder ofEstée Lauder Companies,Jon Stryker of theArcus Foundation andDarren Walker of theFord Foundation.[144] In 2017, Friends of the High Line received theVeronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design fromHarvard University'sGraduate School of Design, for the development of High Line.[146]
Since its opening, the High Line has become one of the most popularvisitors attractions in New York City.[147] By September 2014, the park had nearly five million visitors annually,[118] and in 2019, it had eight million visitors per year.[2] Most of these visits came from tourists; a 2019 study found that tourists made up four-fifths of the High Line's total visitor count.[131] Residents quoted inThe New York Times stated that the park has become a "tourist-clogged catwalk" since it opened,[16] and one critic called it a "tourist-clogged cattle chute".[148]The New York Times called the High Line "one of the best-known naturalistic gardens anywhere" upon the park's 15th anniversary in 2024.[10]
The recycling of the rail line into an urban park andtourist attraction has revitalizedChelsea, which was "gritty" and in generally poor condition during the late twentieth century.[150] It has also spurred real-estate development in the neighborhoods along the line.[151] According to mayor Bloomberg, by 2009 more than 30 projects were planned or under construction nearby,[109] and by 2016 more than 11 projects were under construction.[152] It has also helped raise the value of properties directly adjacent to the High Line by an average of 10 percent over properties a few blocks away. At least 20 properties abutting the High Line have sold for at least $10 million since the park's opening in 2009, with an apartment in a building directly adjacent to the park selling for an average of $6 million.[152] Apartments located near Phase 1 of the High Line are, on average, more than twice as costly as those between Seventh and Eighth Avenues (two blocks east).[153] In August 2016, the park continued to increase real-estate values along it in an example of thehalo effect.[154]
Residents who have bought apartments next to the High Line adapted to its presence in various ways, but most responses were positive.[16] However, many established businesses in west Chelsea have closed due to loss of their neighborhood customer base or rent increases.[155][156] Among the businesses that have closed are gas stations and auto-repair stores, as well as a parochial school.[156] Chelsea has significantracial-minority communities, many of whom live in two largepublic housing developments.[157] In a 2017 interview, Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond said that he "failed" the community; the High Line did not fulfill its original purpose of serving the surrounding neighborhood, which had become demographically divided around the park.[158]
Due to the High Line's popularity, several museums were proposed or built along its path. TheDia Art Foundation considered (but rejected) a proposal to build a museum at the Gansevoort Street terminus.[159] On that site, theWhitney Museum has built a new home for its collection of American art. The building, designed byRenzo Piano, opened on May 1, 2015.[160]
Crime has been low in the park. Shortly after the second section opened in 2011,The New York Times reported that there had been no reports of major crimes (such asassault orrobbery) since the first phase opened two years earlier.Parks Enforcement Patrols have writtensummonses for infractions of park rules such as walking dogs or riding bicycles on the walkway at a lower rate than inCentral Park. Park advocates attributed this to the visibility of the High Line from surrounding buildings, a feature of urban life espoused by authorJane Jacobs nearly fifty years before. According to Joshua David, "Empty parks are dangerous ... Busy parks are much less so. You're virtually never alone on the High Line."[161] In a review of the Highliner restaurant—which has now reverted to its previous name, theEmpire Diner—Ariel Levy wrote inThe New Yorker that... "The newChelsea that is emerging on weekends as visitors flood the elevated park ... [is] touristy, overpriced, and shiny."[162]
The High Line's success in New York City has encouraged leaders in other cities such asChicago mayorRahm Emanuel, who sees it as "a symbol and catalyst" forgentrifying neighborhoods.[163] Several cities nationwide have plans to renovate railroad infrastructure into parkland,[164] includingPhiladelphia's Rail Park, Atlanta'sBelt Line, and Chicago'sBloomingdale Trail.[165] The High Line has helped pioneer the creation ofelevated parks worldwide.[165][166][167] InQueens, theQueensway (a proposed aerial rail trail) is being considered for reactivation along theright-of-way of theLong Island Rail Road's formerRockaway Beach Branch.[168] Other cities around the world have planned elevated rails-to-trails parks in what has been called the "High Line effect".[169][170][171] The conversion of theTokyo Expressway in Tokyo was also inspired by the High Line.[172][173]
According to some estimates, it costs substantially less to redevelop an abandoned urban rail line into a linear park than to demolish it.[163] Landscape architect James Corner (who led the High Line's design team) noted that "The High Line is not easily replicable in other cities," however, observing that building a "cool park" requires a "framework" of neighborhoods around it to succeed.[163]
In 2016, Friends of the High Line launched the High Line Network to support similar infrastructure re-use projects being developed in other cities.[174] As of 2017[update], there are 19 projects in the network,[171] includingRiver LA, the Atlanta Beltline,Crissy Field,Dequindre Cut, theLowline,Klyde Warren Park,the Bentway,Bergen Arches,Destination Crenshaw and theTrinity River Project.[175][176][177]
The line was depicted in a variety of media before its redevelopment. The 1979 filmManhattan includes a shot of the High Line as director and starWoody Allen speaks the first line: "Chapter One. He adored New York City."[178] DirectorZbigniew Rybczyński shot themusic video forArt of Noise's single, "Close (to the Edit)" on the line in 1984.[179]
In 2001 (two years after the formation of theFriends of the High Line), photographerJoel Sternfeld documented the High Line's flora and dilapidation in his book,Walking the High Line. The book also contains essays by writerAdam Gopnik and historianJohn R. Stilgoe.[180] Sternfeld's work was regularly discussed and exhibited during the 2000s as the rehabilitation project developed.[94]Alan Weisman's 2007 book,The World Without Us, cites the High Line as an example of the reappearance of the wild in an abandoned area.[181]Kinetics & One Love's 2009 song, "The High Line", uses the line (before its conversion to a park) as an example of nature's reclamation of man-made structures.[182]
A number of films and television programs have utilized the High Line since the park opened. In 2011, the television seriesLouie used it as a setting for one of the title character's dates.[183] Other works with scenes on the High Line since its conversion includeThe Simpsons' 2012 episode "Moonshine River"[184] and the 2012 filmWhat Maisie Knew.[185]
The New York World referred to the West Side route as Death Avenue in 1892, long after the Park Avenue problem had been solved, saying 'many had been sacrificed' to 'a monster which has menaced them night and day.'
In 1932, the architect Louis Wirsching Jr. replaced some of the 1890 bakeries on the east side of 10th Avenue with the present unusual structure, which accommodates an elevated freight railroad viaduct. Its great open porch on the second and third floors was taken by the railroad as an easement for the rail tracks that still run through it.
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