From the plaques placed in the High Line Park:
“The High Line was built by the New York Central Railroad between 1929 and 1934 to lift dangerous freight trains from Manhattan’s streets. The Highline’s trains carried meat, produce and dairy products into warehouses and factories at the third-floor [ed: British English: 2nd floor] level. It was known as the ‘Life Line of New York’.
As trucking began to replace rail as the primary means of moving freight in New York Cty, train traffic declined on the High Line, and the southernmost section as torn down. By 1980, the trains had stopped running.
In 1999, with the High Line threatened with demolition, neighbourhood residents formed Friends of the Highlight to advocate for the preservation and reuse of the structure. In 2002, the City of New York boldly committed to transport the High Line into a one-of-a-kind park.”
Interestingly it is less ‘one-of-a-kind’ as more cities are considering turning dis-used rail infrastructure into public recreation space.
I took a lot of pictures, these are the park itself:
These are views of New York from the park:
There is lots of art work along the park, this piece by Marianne Vitale made from ‘frogs’ used in railroad points is the most appropriate one to add to this blog.
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