High Line (New York City)

The High Line is a 2.33 km above obtained, but no more than those used elevated railway line in the west of Manhattan, which since 2006 to a park, the High Line Park, rebuilt. The first section was opened to the public in June 2009. It is a former stretch of the West Side Freight Line, carrying only freight was operated, not a remnant of the former elevated railway network of New York City, which served to transport passengers.

History

The Meatpacking District, an industrial area in the west of Manhattan, within sight of the Hudson River, has been developed since 1847 by a railway line, which ran on 10th Avenue. The transport of freight trains on a road led to numerous accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles, what the 10th Avenue earned the name of Death Avenue. Therefore, the New York Central Railroad, the city and the State of New York agreed in 1929 as part of an urban renewal program on the track by a high railway line - replace - is now called the High Line.

The High Line was about 21 km long and ran between 35th Street and the St. John 's Park Terminal. The development of industrial enterprises in West Chelsea and the Meatpacking District was carried out by building connections in the 2nd or 3rd floor of factories and warehouses.

1932, the High Line was put into operation. But already in the 1950s, demand decreased by rail connections through the factories and butchers because shifted due to the expansion of the highway network freight transport more and more on trucks, on the other hand, the industrial companies left the area. As early as the 1960s, some sections of the High Line were demolished. The only extant today section lies between Bethune and Bank Street in the former building of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, today's Westbeth Artists Community. The last train on the Highline wrong in the fall 1980.

Since the transformation to the park (see below), the area on both sides of the route is in particular become the creative sector is a preferred place for business. Various buildings on either side are restored and marketed as a high quality (living) space in a prime location.

Transformation to park

House passage of the High Line through the hotel's construction of the "Standard" ( New York)

Wooden benches on the old tracks of the High Line

Permanent work of art on the inside of a window to the east of the route

Mural kind west of the High Line between W 28th and W 29th St

In 1991, a section about five blocks was demolished at the southern end of the High Line, so that today is only a residual distance between 34th Street near the Javits Convention Center and Gansevoort Street in the West Village. Residents entrepreneur wanted to tear down the High Line, in order to win construction areas. A demolition permit the city council was present already when it was founded in 1999 by local residents, the initiative Friends of the High Line to obtain the structure.

After the demolition was averted, the construction of a public park on the elevated route was proposed by the initiative as reuse. Served here in the early 1990s created promenade plantée in the 12th arrondissement of Paris from the Place de la Bastille to the boulevard périphérique as a model. This concept was among the residents, architects, urban and landscape planners and artists (such as actors Edward Norton and Kevin Bacon or the fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg ) a large number of supporters. Thus, the city voted to New York in 2004 to build a park for $ 50 million.

The project consists of three phases. On April 10 In 2006, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ground-breaking ceremony. The first phase ranged from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street. Among other things, was involved in the design of Diller Scofidio 's office. For the design of the park plant species were mainly chosen who had previously taken as ruderal vegetation of the abandoned railway system owned. The first section of the park was made ​​on 8 June 2009 to the public ( opening times 7:00 to 22:00 clock ). The Wallpaper magazine gave the new park called " Life Enhancer of the Year" ( to improve life of the year).

The work on the second section (from the 20th to 30th Street ) were started immediately after. The cost was USD 152 million (then around EUR 110 million) is estimated. About 70 % of construction costs should by donations, organize the Friends of the High Line, to be applied. The Friends of the High Line have also taken over the maintenance of the plant. This section was inaugurated ( the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others ) 7 June 2011 in the presence of various political responsibility. Since the 8th of June, the construction phase to the public on access by the 23, 26, 28 and 30th Street is available.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the third phase of construction with the name High Line at the Rail Yards (from 30th Street to 34th Street) was held on 20 September 2012. The work will be carried out in three phases, the opening of the first is scheduled for 2014.

The High Line was awarded the " International EGHN Award " of the European Garden Heritage Network, 2010.

Role model for other projects

The High Line Park served as a model for several similar projects:

  • The Petite Ceinture in Paris
  • "Linear Landscapes', on the initial leg of the former North Western Railway Station in Vienna's 20th district Brigittenau.
  • " High Line Park Vienna ", the former U6 route in Vienna Heiligenstadt.
  • The " Garden Bridge Over The Thames " by Thomas Heatherwick, designer of the British Shanghai Expo pavilions.
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