Flourishing attraction instead of demolition: New York’s High Line turns 15

The demolition of the former elevated railway line in southwest Manhattan had already been decided, but Joshua David and Robert Hammond did not give up. The neighbors had met each other at a community meeting in 1999. “I stayed afterward and tried to find someone else who also wanted to save the High Line,” Hammond remembers. The elevated railway line was built in 1934 so that freight trains could deliver their goods directly to the upper floors of the factories and warehouses on the west side of Manhattan. But as more and more trucks were used instead of trains, the line was used less and less. The last train ran in 1980 – with frozen turkeys on board. After that, the line fell into disrepair and with it the neighborhoods around it, soon dominated by stinking meat industries, mountains of garbage, street prostitution, crime and drugs.

But David and Hammond developed a vision: the High Line should become a park. They sued to prevent the demolition, mobilized celebrities such as actor Edward Norton and designer Diane von Fürstenberg, and raised millions. In June 2009, the first section was reopened as a park – and was an immediate success.

The northern part was added in 2014. In 2019, the last side detour, “The Spur,” was renovated and added, and in 2023 it will be connected to Penn Station by a newly built route. The tracks have remained in many places, but asters, petunias and goldenrods bloom in between, there are paths and benches – and panoramic views of the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty open up over a distance of around 2.5 kilometers.

There are food stalls, guided tours of the flower beds, free sports classes, group stargazing, concerts and activities for children. The project is financed through donations and city grants. “We have created a new way of thinking about public space in New York and everywhere else,” says founder David.

This also includes a lot of art: with changing installations and works, often made especially for the High Line, interest among New Yorkers is not waning. A Statue of Liberty with a cartoon face by the Italian artist Paola Pivi, a pink tree by the Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz and a work by the Hamburg-born artist Julia Phillips have already been a hit. The latter mounted a pair of binoculars on the High Line and connected them to cameras – so that the eyes of the person looking through the binoculars could be seen large on a screen next to it.

More than seven million people walk along the successful project every year – so many that on sunny days there is almost a kind of permanent traffic jam. The High Line has long since completely transformed the neighborhoods around it. In particular, the Meatpacking District, where it begins, and Chelsea, where it ends, have become expensive, trendy neighborhoods. Luxury residential towers, haute couture shops, galleries, cafes and expensive restaurants characterize the carefully renovated streets.

Luxurious district

The “Standard” hotel, built across the High Line, is one of the most sought-after in the city. At the southern end of the High Line, the Whitney Museum, which has been moved down from the Upper East Side, is now a tempting sight. At the northern end, Hudson Yards is a completely new luxury high-rise district. This is not good news for everyone; many people and shop owners could no longer afford the high rents and had to move away.

The High Line represents a trend towards more nature and movement in New York, said New York Senator Charles Schumer. It has become one of the most recognizable tourist attractions. “People used to say, ‘If you go to New York, you have to see the Empire State Building.’ Today they say, ‘If you go to New York, you have to walk the High Line.'”