History Lesson, Pt. 1: The Westbeth Artists Community

While the High Line itself is rich with its own unique and storied history, it is also part of the larger historical context of the city it has called home for over a century. In this recurring series, we hope to rediscover the High Line by taking a look at some of the important historical [...]

“Cheap Lunchrooms, Tawdry Saloons and Waterfront Haberdasheries”

The 1930′s Federal Writers Project WPA Guide to New York City, which I love, has a great description of the Hudson waterfront during the time the High Line was built. From the chapter “West Street and North (Hudson) River Waterfront”: The broad highway, West Street and its continuations, which skirts the North River from Battery [...]

Chelsea: 1986.

[West 17th Street at 10th Avenue, looking west.] In some ways, Chelsea in 1986 in not so different from what it is today. Sure, the neighborhood has changed and evolved in many ways, but it has also remained a diverse community of people, activities, and uses. The preservation and reuse of High Line adds another interesting element [...]

Photo of the Week: West Side Cowboy Twofer

[Cowboy on 10th Avenue and 17th Street. Click to enlarge.] This is one of our favorite historical images. The West Side Cowboys were employed by the City to ride in front of street-level freight trains and wave pedestrians out of the way. This was the City’s stopgap measure to stop the carnage on what was known [...]

1930′s Rail Yards

(click photo to enlarge) A view looking Southwest at the working rail yards, taken shortly after the High Line was built (date and photographer unknown). Note the boxcars; the rail yards were originally used for freight, but are now used for Long Island Rail Road trains. The Miller Elevated Highway can also be seen, to [...]