NEW YORK—Preservers of The High Line Park, an elevated freight train railway that has been converted into a public space, was presented the 2010 Doris C. Freedman award on Wednesday by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Friends of the High Line became part of a tradition that was established in 1982 which “recognizes an individual or organization for a contribution to the people of the city of New York that greatly enriches the public environment,” according to a press release issued by the mayor’s office.
The High Line was constructed in the 1930s to allow freight trains to run on an elevated railway and deliver their goods without obstructing traffic on Manhattan streets. Trains stopped running on the Line in 1980. But in 1999, the railway was in danger of demolition, and thus, Friends of the High Line was founded to fight for the preservation of the structure.
The High Line starts at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District and runs along 10th Avenue, reaching West 30th Street. From there, the West Side Rail Yards goes around the 10th Avenue Spur. Section 1 of the High Line, which runs from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, was open to the public on June 9, 2009. Section 2, which runs from 20th to 30th Street, will be open in 2011.
On June 12, the nonprofit preservation group rejoiced at news of the City Planning Commission’s approval of the city’s ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) application to acquire the West Side Rail Yards. Though the city is now given the option of acquisition, it is not definite the city will do so. However, Friends of the High Line stated on its website that it was still “a major, positive step” toward their goal of full preservation and completion of the park all the way to West 34th Street.
The High Line acts as an open public space for many New Yorkers to explore and become inspired. People can be seen taking photographs of the skyline and surrounding cityscape. Elevated 30 feet in the air, the park provides a rare and beautiful view of the city.
Friends of the High Line became part of a tradition that was established in 1982 which “recognizes an individual or organization for a contribution to the people of the city of New York that greatly enriches the public environment,” according to a press release issued by the mayor’s office.
The High Line was constructed in the 1930s to allow freight trains to run on an elevated railway and deliver their goods without obstructing traffic on Manhattan streets. Trains stopped running on the Line in 1980. But in 1999, the railway was in danger of demolition, and thus, Friends of the High Line was founded to fight for the preservation of the structure.
The High Line starts at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District and runs along 10th Avenue, reaching West 30th Street. From there, the West Side Rail Yards goes around the 10th Avenue Spur. Section 1 of the High Line, which runs from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, was open to the public on June 9, 2009. Section 2, which runs from 20th to 30th Street, will be open in 2011.
On June 12, the nonprofit preservation group rejoiced at news of the City Planning Commission’s approval of the city’s ULURP (Uniform Land Use Review Procedure) application to acquire the West Side Rail Yards. Though the city is now given the option of acquisition, it is not definite the city will do so. However, Friends of the High Line stated on its website that it was still “a major, positive step” toward their goal of full preservation and completion of the park all the way to West 34th Street.
The High Line acts as an open public space for many New Yorkers to explore and become inspired. People can be seen taking photographs of the skyline and surrounding cityscape. Elevated 30 feet in the air, the park provides a rare and beautiful view of the city.
Wennie Huang is an art class instructor from the TriBeCa branch of 92nd Street Y, a nonprofit community center that offers non-degree art classes for adults and children. This summer is the first time she is teaching the course, “Drawing and Painting At the High Line,” where students spend a whole day drawing and painting at the park. The idea arose after her students from a previous class had traveled around the city for outdoor painting, wanted to spend more time at the High Line.
Huang said outdoor painting is a great hobby, and the High Line is a prime location for it. “It seems like a lot of people enjoy doing it [outdoor painting] now, because it gets you out of your apartment, and it gets you out from in front of the computer screen. And you’re doing something that is much more in tune with being aware of your present surroundings. … I think taking that moment to really observe things you would normally walk by and not think two-cents about, it does something to you, [it gives you] a sense of peace inside. It’s [the High Line] a good classroom for me too, as a teacher.”
For Huang and her students, they can paint, rain or shine, because the High Line has various structures that can shield them from bad weather.
Huang said the High Line is also a great place to paint the street because the elevated structure gives painters a panoramic view of what is going on down below. She also added, “A lot of my students are discovering that the best part of the High Line is, of course, the nature. So you have everything. You’re right in the middle of a whole hodge-podge of urban architecture, old, new, whatever. Also, tons of people walk by. You have all different kinds of shapes and sizes of people you can draw.”
Jane, a student at Baruch College, has been planning to go to the High Line for a while after hearing about its opening on television, and finally found time on Wednesday. She majors in English, and minors in photography and education. For Jane, the High Line can serve as inspiration for both her writing and her photography. She plans to look for something specific to shoot after today’s surveying. “It looks like nature on a railroad, in the middle of the city, and you look around. I don’t know what I’m going to get from it, but I’m expecting to get something cool.”
Cherish and Chelsea Manifold, two freelance artists, like to take a “gentle stroll” along the Line in between jobs. Chelsea said, “It’s this beautiful green strip above the industrial-ness, and it’s really lovely that you’re not on the ground. There’s no traffic right there so you’re away from cars and it’s quiet.” She hopes the High Line can eventually be extended to 34th Street.
Friends Read Free