so last week, nathan and i went to the high line, which, as some of you may know, is a brand new park / greenspace built on the old high line railway that runs from the meat-packing district to 34th st…
and i texted.
but seriously…
this place is amazing. i’ve read about the construction of this “park” for years, and am so glad that it was executed with such specificity and attention to detail. we initially wandered into the meat-packing district to view the amazing video installation in the standard hotel by marco brambilla and ended up strolling down the six bock promenade that comprises the semi-completed once-elevated-train-turned-wildflower-bonanza.
as you can see, the design team that spearheaded the project - led by james horner’s field operations - recaptures the original identity of the railway with flooring designs that echo the original rails.
another fascinating aspect of the project is that it allows you to observe the city from a rarely experienced perspective - 30 feet above street level. i found the clash of new and old architecture in the rapidly-developing meat-packing district to be beautiful, particularly in the case of the older exposed steel and brick structures that will hopefully maintain their undeniable new york sensibility as they inevitably develop into commercial flagship shop, boutique hotels and gourmet restaurants.
the agricultural structure of the park is also unique in that it represents species of plants that have been naturally growing on the abandoned high line for years, supplemented by additional species to ensure blooming plants during the entire growing season. i once read somewhere that project features “seven seasons of wildflower” - although i’m unclear as to what exactly that means.
this, one example of covered space on the high line features some eerily beautiful blue flourescent light. i hope that these are permanent and not some place holder during the park’s development.
one of the most interesting features in the completed section of the park is this 10th avenue viewing theater.
although the high line is a public park, it seems to be treated almost like a large piece of landscape art. there was no visible litter or cigarette butts anywhere, and contrarily no overt placement of trash cans. i believe the designers were utilizing the typically european philosophy of eliminating any overt sense of control - with pervasive signage and visual / verbal commands and threats - thereby forcing the individual to have a real desire to maintain the park’s pristine state versus a vague, pedantic compulsion to.
hiding in this photo you can see some of the only signage present in the park. a simple message conveyed beautifully without sounding condescending.
cool scaffolding, huh?
all in all, i highly suggest you visit the high line as soon as you can. i’m curious to see if this park will uphold it’s art-object identity and (hopefully) raise the bar for newly constructed public space in new york.
for more information visit thehighline.org.
Tags: city, design, field operations, greenspace, high line, meat-packing district, new york city, park, public space, the high line, urban planning, west side