Section 2 Construction: 30th Street Entrance

New space for the 30th Street Entrance. Photo by Patrick Cullina.

The latest on the High Line’s next section: the construction team recently removed FOURTEEN TONS of steel up at 30th Street to make way for the future stairs and elevator.

When Section 2 opens, 30th Street will be the northernmost access point on the High Line, at least until the Rail Yards section is built.  The entrance is located right at “the curve”, where the High Line begins its iconic sweep westward towards the Hudson River.

Like the stairs at Gansevoort Street and 14th Street, the 30th Street stairs will cut through the structure, bringing visitors face-to-face with the High Line’s steel beams and rivets. Click through for a rendering.

2009 in Pictures

Dear Friends,

2009 has been a remarkable year for the High Line. After spending the spring working on the final stages of construction, we opened the first section of the park in June. Since then, we estimate that nearly 2 million people have visited. We hope you were among these first visitors to the High Line, and that you return again and again in 2010.

The High Line’s first year as a public park has been truly amazing. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite pictures from this incredible, historic year. We hope you enjoy them!

We hope you’ll continue to support the High Line as we prepare for 2010.

Many thanks, and happy New Year,

Park visitors stroll and relax on the Diller – von Furstenberg Sundeck between 14th and 15th Streets. The Sundeck is one of the High Line’s most popular gathering spots, especially for sunbathers on bright summer days, and as a place to watch the sunset. Photo by Iwan Baan

“…The High Line is a hit, and not just with tourists but with New Yorkers who are openly relishing a place where they can reflect and relax enough to get a new perspective on Manhattan.”

—Diane Cardwell, For High Line Visitors, Park is a Railway Out of Manhattan, New York Times

An Award for the High Line

We are proud to announce that the High Line has been bestowed with an award from the U.S. section of the International Association of Art Critics: First Prize for ”Best Show in a Public Space.”  I have the honor of accepting this award at a reception at the Guggenheim Museum, alongside esteemed colleagues. A complete list of awardees is here (PDF).  Thank you AICA USA!

James Corner at Cooper Union

Image courtesy fieldoperations.net

James Corner, principal and founder of  James Corner Field Operations, the High Line project lead, will lecture on his recent and current works at the Cooper Union on Wednesday, December 9th.

In addition to the High Line, Corner’s work with Field Operations includes the current transformation of the 2,200-acre landfill site Fresh Kills on Staten Island, which will be one of the largest public parks in the world. James Corner Field Operations has received numerous awards, including the New York City Arts Commission Award for Excellence in Design and the Daimler-Chrysler Award for Design Innovation.

Admission is free for league members and the Cooper Union Students and Staff, and is $10.00 for non-members.

Wednesday, December 9th
7:00 PM
Cooper Union’s Great Hall
7 East 7th Street, New York, NY

Non-members can purchase tickets here.
For more information, see the Architectural League of New York Web site.

PARK(ing) Day NYC this Friday

Parking Day 2008 Video from Streetfilms

Park(ing) Day, one of our favorite yearly public space happenings, takes to the New York City streets this Friday!

This international event transforms metered parking spaces into playgrounds, parks, creative installations, and unusual meeting-grounds for all to hit the pavement and enjoy. Converting car-intended spots throughout the five boroughs, these park(ing) spaces are a great example of  street-space reclaimed. Park(ing) Day’s mission doesn’t sound too far off from the High Line’s reclamation of  space for the public.

Last year the High Line participated in the Park(ing) Day extravaganza, one of 57 spaces across the city. This year, our newly-opened park hovers 30 feet higher than most parking spaces, but encourages you to check out a nearby Park(ing) Day space on ground level. A map and description of all the spots is here.

One of our favorites is right here in the neighborhood.  Weave the Hearts, sponsored by the West Harlem Art Fund and created by Japanese artist Shintaro Tokairin, can be located at 400 W. 14th Street, near 9th Avenue. Tokairin has created a woven installation piece which will encapsulate the space, inviting visitors to relax and indulge in the artistically-inspired parking spot.

Even The New Yorker Knows The High Line is a Babe Magnet

Photo by Brian Finke

The “Goings on About Town” photo in this week’s New Yorker featured a familiar sight to anyone who’s strolled the High Line on a hot day.  The Sundeck’s lounge chairs — both rolling and stationary — have become a veritable Mecca for sunbathers.

For those who remember the early iterations of the High Line’s design, the photo also reminds us of something…

Diller Scofidio + Renfro on Charlie Rose

As if we could love the Charlie Rose Show any more.

There’s a lot of High Line talk at the beginning of this interview, plus discussion of Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s other work: The Blur Building, the ICA in Boston, and of course the new Alice Tully Hall.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro are part of the High Line’s design team, led by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations.

Alcove Seating Bench

[Photo by Jeffrey Donenfeld]

Alcove seating benches were installed this week on the High Line between 17th and 18th Streets. The FSC-certified IPE wood– a sustainable Brazilian hardwood– is the same material used for the High Line’s peel-up benches. A vegetal screen will be installed behind the benches to allow for vines grow, creating a shaded place to sit and enjoy views of the Hudson and the neighborhood’s impressive architecture.
Previously: Photo of the Week: Peel-up bench installed!

Photo of the Week: Peel-up bench installed!

[FHL staff Patrick Hazari tries out the newly installed "peel-up" bench on the High Line. The FSC-certified IPE wood used for the bench is finished with an oil-based, clear-coat sealant that will protect the wood. Over time, the wood will weather naturally to a beautiful silver patina.]

Previously: Photo of the Week: Peel-up benches

Northern Spur Preserve: Ramp revealed!

 

 [View looking north at the Northern spur over 10th Avenue.]

Work is quickly progressing at the Northern spur, a horticultural preserve located on a portion of the High Line that juts across 10th Avenue, just north of Chelsea Market.  The landscape at the Northern spur is designed to recall the self-sown landscape that grew up on the High Line after the trains stopped running. The High Line’s landscape team planted over 7,500 native grasses and perennials in early November, before the soil froze.

Construction crews are now beginning to install non-slip, brushed-aluminum grating panels along a ramped structure that will provide access to and from the lower level. At the mid-point of the ramp, a cantilevered overlook will offer visitors views of both the preserve below them, and of the city beyond.

[Detail: A brushed-aluminum ramp provides a non-slip walking surface between the lower and upper levels of the High Line.]