High Line opens!!!
Photo Copyright Iwan Baan
The dream urban park High Line has opened! Section 1 of the High Line starting from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street will open Tuesday, June 9.
On the historic day of June 8, Mayor Bloomberg and several New York City leaders and supporters cut the ribbon on the High Line, officially opening the first section to the public, offering visitors the chance to preview the park from June 9 onwards though it is still under construction. I have been following the blog and development closely even though I have lived outside NYC for 2 years now. Really something exciting to see when I go back next time, especially with the High Line running through some of the most interesting art neighborhoods with public art gallery planned for. What i love about how the park is built, is the community involvement. Organized by the Friends of the High Line, it has held over two dozens input sessions to encourage residents and business owners to share ideas. Throughout the design process, community input has been central to the High Line project. Awesome isn’t it?!
High Line’s signature landscape is designed by James Corner Field Operations. Some early renderings by the architects Diller Scofidio +Renfro.
About the Park
The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan’s streets. Section 1 of the High Line will soon open as a public park, owned by the City of New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks Department.
When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, combining meandering concrete pathways with naturalistic plantings. Fixed and movable seating, lighting, and special features are also included in the park.
Access points from street level will be located every two to three blocks. Many of these access points will include elevators, and all will include stairs.
Via Highline Blog and The Highline
