The Highline: A New Destination
Arlene Garcia
Dr. Kevin P. Coogan
12 August, 2013
HEOP 2013
The New Highline
The way things can evolve with just the snap of a finger is truly amazing. Less than a decade ago, the highline was an abandoned wasteland but in 2009, it was transformed into a meaningful elevated park. The highline has a very long history being that it also used to be railroad track in the late 1930s. It has gone through many transformations throughout the decades, but now it has become one of the most famous parks in New York City. Before the high line was created, train cars would go down the streets of tenth avenue to bring supplies to the growing 19th century New York. Cowboys on horses used to ride ahead of the trains to warn people of its arrival, but yet, in the very crowded turn of the century New York City, it became extremely dangerous. Tenth avenue became known as “death avenue” because so many people would get hit by trains bringing steal, cattle, or coal into the city’s factories. In the 1930s, the New York State legislature approved the construction of the highline: train cars would be elevated to avoid conflict with pedestrians and car traffic on tenth avenue. According to the “friends of the high line”, in 1934, “the high line opened to trains. It ran from 34th Street to St. John’s Park Terminal, at Spring Street. It was designed to go through the center of blocks, rather than over the avenue, to avoid creating the negative conditions associated with elevated subways. It connected directly to factories and warehouses, allowing trains to roll right inside buildings. Milk, meat, produce, and raw and manufactured goods come and go without causing street-level traffic.” At that time, the high line became a symbol of the booming industrial New York City. It was soon going to end however. After World War II, the highway system overtook rail as the main way to transport goods in the Northeast United States. The highline became underused and in
Dr. Kevin P. Coogan
12 August, 2013
HEOP 2013
The New Highline
The way things can evolve with just the snap of a finger is truly amazing. Less than a decade ago, the highline was an abandoned wasteland but in 2009, it was transformed into a meaningful elevated park. The highline has a very long history being that it also used to be railroad track in the late 1930s. It has gone through many transformations throughout the decades, but now it has become one of the most famous parks in New York City. Before the high line was created, train cars would go down the streets of tenth avenue to bring supplies to the growing 19th century New York. Cowboys on horses used to ride ahead of the trains to warn people of its arrival, but yet, in the very crowded turn of the century New York City, it became extremely dangerous. Tenth avenue became known as “death avenue” because so many people would get hit by trains bringing steal, cattle, or coal into the city’s factories. In the 1930s, the New York State legislature approved the construction of the highline: train cars would be elevated to avoid conflict with pedestrians and car traffic on tenth avenue. According to the “friends of the high line”, in 1934, “the high line opened to trains. It ran from 34th Street to St. John’s Park Terminal, at Spring Street. It was designed to go through the center of blocks, rather than over the avenue, to avoid creating the negative conditions associated with elevated subways. It connected directly to factories and warehouses, allowing trains to roll right inside buildings. Milk, meat, produce, and raw and manufactured goods come and go without causing street-level traffic.” At that time, the high line became a symbol of the booming industrial New York City. It was soon going to end however. After World War II, the highway system overtook rail as the main way to transport goods in the Northeast United States. The highline became underused and in