In 1929, the city and state of New York and the New York Central Railroad finally agreed on the West Side Improvement Project, which included the High Line. Before the High Line, railroad tracks went through the city’s street. “Death Avenue” or 10th avenue, became well known for the many accidents between freight trains and ongoing traffic. The High Line was in full force in 1934. It ran from 34th street to St. John’s Park Terminal, at Spring Street. As time went on, interstate trucking grew in popularity. The last train was operated in 1980. Many sought to destroy the historical landmark, but in 1999, the non-profit Friends of the High Line was formed by Joshua David and Robert Hammond. They fought for the preservation of the High line and the use of it as a public open space in the form of an elevated greenway. In March of 2002, the project received it’s first City support, a city council resolution that advocated the reuse of the High Line. A study conducted by the organization revealed that “recycling” the High Line would be profitable because of the new tax revenues that it generated which would far exceeded the costs of its construction. A competition was opened up to the public for ideas on “Designing the High Line.” In September of 2004, The State of New York, CSX Transportation, Inc. (the railroad company), and the City of New York jointly filed with the Surface Transportation Board to railbank the High Line. In 2004, the New York City government committed $50 million to establish the proposed park. In 2005, the City took ownership of the High Line, and by 2006 the groundbreaking was celebrated. Today, the park is open to public and serves as a tourist hot spot. It serves as an attraction for culture as well as architectural designs and plant life.
The New York Times article “In the Shadows of the High Line,” the author states that “According to the park’s Web site, 3.7 million people visited the High Line in 2011, only half of them New Yorkers.” The High Line has become one of the famous attractions that all tourists visit. The High Line has also had tremendous impact on the real estate in the Meatpacking/ Chelsea area. The elites and “upper-class” are moving into the neighborhoods, which are completely remade with luxurious high-rises. “Between 2003 and 2011, property values near the park increased 103 percent.” This shows the direct linkage between the High line and the rise in the property values in the area. “Gone entirely will be regular New Yorkers, the people who used to call the neighborhood home. But then the High Line was never really about them.” The Meatpacking District went through gentrification, which caused the native Meatpackers to move out of the area and allow the socialites to reside in their luxurious new high rises.
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