History of the High Line
Since 1980, no trains have run on the High Line and conservationists have fought to preserve the historic structure from demolition. In 2003, hundreds of design teams submitted proposals for preserving and re-using the High Line and construction of the elevated park began in 2006.The High Line Section 1 Opens for Summer 2009
The opening of the first half-mile section of the High Line on June 9, 2009 was the culmination of more than three years of construction and ten years of planning.Section 1 of the High Line — stretching from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street — is open to the public as of June 9, 2009. Access points from street level are located every two to three blocks and many will include elevators. Park hours will be 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.
Please note that access to the High Line will be limited during June. To ensure public safety during the first weeks that the High Line is open, visitors will flow from south to north. Please plan on entering the park at the Gansevoort Street access point, unless you are in need of an elevator. Elevator service is available at 16th Street, with another elevator opening in July at 14th Street. You may exit the park at any of the access points (Gansevoort, 14th, 16th, 18th, and 20th Streets).
The second section of the High Line — 20th Street to 30th Street — is scheduled to open in 2010.
Things to Do on the High Line
If you get tired of just relaxing amid the landscaped greenery of the renovated High Line and gazing down at the city below, you'll also find events and exhibits on the High Line this summer.- Spencer Finch: The River That Flows Both Ways -- The inaugural public art installation in the Chelsea Market Passage opens to the public on June 9, 2009. Artist Spencer Finch has transformed the casement windows of the former loading dock between 15th and 16th Streets with 700 individually crafted panes of glass representing the water conditions on the Hudson River over a period of 700 minutes on a single day.
To create the project, Finch photographed a floating object as it moved through the landscape of the Hudson River. The artist then carefully matched each unique image to a pane of glass. Finch's installation is called "The River That Flows Both Ways," a translation of the original Native American word for the Hudson River, Muhheakantuck. - Target High Line Street Festival -- On July 12, 2009, celebrate the 75th anniversary of the High Line at a free street fair featuring live music, dancing, storytelling, and hands-on crafts and activities for the whole family.
