friends of the high line
i am becoming obsessed with friends of the high line. i can't quite remember where i read about it - maybe dwell - but i can't stop thinking about it, for many reasons. one reason is that it is an amazing project. the one and one-half-mile-long elevated rail corridor was built in the thirties to separate freight rail traffic from street-level traffic, thus ensuring the safety of pedestrians and, more importantly in that era, the efficiency of goods delivery.i'm not quite sure when the line was closed to rail traffic, but it seems clear that the high line structure sat abandoned for quite some time. friends of the high line (fhl) was formed to promote the preservation and reuse of the elevated structure as a promenade of open space, providing a welcome swath of greenery in an otherwise very densely developed industrial part of NYC, a unique vantage point from which to view the city, and a history lesson on the prior industrial land use in a rapidly changing urban landscape.
friends of the high line drew precedent from another amazing preservation and reclamation project, the Promenade Plantee in Paris, which achieved the same end for an elevated rail line through that city in the early nineties. fhl has successfully enlisted the architects diller, scofidio + renfro (check 'em out, they're amazing) to reinterpret the high line as a pedestrian oriented public space. you can see their winning competition entry at thehighline.org.
i think the highline project is really a testament to the power of grass roots organizing and the importance of preserving liminal spaces. spaces like the high line, but not just rail lines, have a relevance that so far exceeds, but of course includes, their original use. they must not be removed from our cities and towns. rather, they should be preserved and reinterpreted. friends of the high line provide us with a usuable model - why isn't this happening across the country? i feel inspired to take on a project such as this one in my town.
posted by bls @ 9:22 AM
1 Comments:
wow! it's so cool that you mentioned this because i've almost posted about it before! i actually have some pictures of it that i took a few months ago. i'll try and post them tonight. a good chunk of the old road was really close to where we subletted and i thought it was facinating! cool! you should come visit and i'll show it to you!!
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