On the High Line

Annik LaFarge has been writing about the High Line since 2009, beginning with the blog LivinTheHighLine.com, selected by the Columbia University Libraries Web Resources Collection Program for inclusion in the Avery Library Historic Preservation and Urban Planning web archive. LaFarge is a Trustee and Chair for the Waterfront Museum in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and author of Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions.

Introducing the High Line New Preface to the Third Edition xiii Prologue: The Story of the High Line, from Elevated Railroad to Linear Park xxii Foreword by Rick Darke xxxiv Joel Sternfeld xxxix Designing the High Line xli Piet Oudolf and the Plants of the High Line xlvi Section One: Gansevoort-14th Street The Slow Stairs, 5 * Friends of the High Line, 6 * Gansevoort Woodland, 9 * Mannahatta Then and Now, 11 * The Manhattan Refrigerating Company, 12 * Washington Grasslands, 13 * Wildlife on the High Line, 14 * Whitney Museum , 15 * Gansevoort Pumping Station, 18 * Pier 52 and Day's End, 19 * Thirteenth Avenue and Gansevoort Peninsula, 20 * Pier 54 and Little Island, 24 * The Meatpacking District, 27 * 14th Street Passage, 29 * P. F. Collier & Son, 30 * The Louche Hotels, 31 Section Two: 14th-16th Streets The Bog, 37 * Piers and Pile Fields, 38 * Pier 57, 39 * The Sundeck, 40 * Hoboken Terminal, 40 * Chelsea Market, 41 * The Northern and Southern Spurs, 44 * Merchants Refrigerating Company Warehouse, 46 * Piet Oudolf's Favorites, 46 * The Spring Cutback, 48 * Other High Lines, 50 Section Three: 16th-20th Streets Death Avenue Amphitheater, 59 * The West Side Cowboy, 59 * Tenth Avenue Square, 62 * Chelsea Grasslands, 63 * New Architecture along the High Line, Part One, 64 * Tenement Houses, 68 * High Line Art, 70 * Astilbe, Allium 'Mt. Everest', Staghorn Sumac, 70 * The Chelsea Piers, 71 * Grasses, 73 * Publishing and Printing, 75 * Breaking the Grid, 75 * Clement Clarke Moore-a.k.a. Seal-Park , 76 * Guardian Angel Church, 77 * Holly on the High Line, 78 Section Four: 20th-23rd Streets West Chelsea, 81 * The Chelsea Thicket, 82 * General Theological Seminary, 82 * The Art Deco Prison, 83 * The Life Savers Building, 84 * The Warehouse Law, 85 * Center of Amusements, 86 * The Spears Building and Seating Steps, 87 * The Prairie Lawn, 88 * The Chelsea Hotel, 90 * The Empire Diner, 91 * The Gallery and Art Scene, 92 * London Terrace Apartments, 94 * The Original People's Park, 95 Section Five: 23rd-26th Streets The Slow Park, 99 * New Architecture along the High Line, Part Two, 99 * The Flyover, 102 * Tree of Heaven: From Beloved to Bemoaned, 103 * From Global Grocer to World School, 104 * H. Wolff Book Manufacturing Co., 105 * Magnolias, 106 * The Modern Luxury Cruise, 107 * The Great Spires, 108 * Water Towers, 110 * Heavy Metal in West Chelsea, 111 * Otis Elevator Company, 112 * Pharmacy in the Sky, 114 * The Lighterage Era, 114 Section Six: 26th-30th Streets The Wildflower Field, 121 * The High Line Zeitgeist, 121 * Peter Obletz, 123 * New York's Lumberyard, 124 * The Radial Bench, 124 * "Make the Place Sittable", 125 * 30th Street Cut- Out, 126 * The Central Stores Complex, 126 * The Morgan General Mail Facility and Abraham Lincoln, 128 Section Seven: The Interim Walkway The Crossroads, 135 * The Eastern Rail Yards and the Rail Track Walk, 135 * Keep It Wild: The Interim Walkway, 137 * The Divine Wild Carrot, 139 * Hell's Kitchen, 140 * The Javits Center Green Roof, 141 * 34th Street Entry Plaza and CSX Transportation Gate, 142 Section Eight: 30th-34th Streets The Shed, 147 * Hudson Yards, 147 * Tenth Avenue Spur, 148 * Westyard Distribution Center, 150 * The Moynihan Connector, 151 * The Time Line, 154 Acknowledgments 157 Notes 161 Bibliography 175 Index 179

...the book captures exactly the delightful design and planting [and] the spirit of each little section of the park...It has the gentle reader reaching for the internet to start looking for plane tickets.-- "The Independent (UK)" A book that will give pleasure and respite to all who love New York City but wish it were somehow quieter, prettier, more conducive to contemplation without electronic devices buzzing from all sides.-- "Hudson Valley News" LaFarge gives a good account of the campaign to save and transform the High Line and along the way-quite literally-she drip-feeds us with a torrent of informative snippets, both generally municipal and specifically horticultural.-- "Hortus" LaFarge's revised edition incorporates many changes, large and small, including those wrought by Hurricane Sandy.-- "Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries" Plenty of fascinating historical anecdotes.-- "Baltimore Sun" Engrossing. . . . Bursting with insights on history, botany, geography, architecture, and the arts, La Farge takes readers on a tour of the park from the 'Slow Stairs' at the southern end to the Tenth Avenue Spur. Gorgeous full-color photographs enhance the view on nearly every page. A marvelous guidebook for visitors and readers interested in New York City history or urban planning.-- "Publishers Weekly" Fascinating. . . . A must for anyone who plans to visit the High Line.-- "Chicago Tribune" Reading this revised edition of the 2012 guide will make the casual tourist, and perhaps even an oblivious Manhattanite, seek out a section of the park (or maybe even the entire route) for a stroll. . . . The prize goes to the volume's photographs. . . .Recommended for those living in or planning to visit New York City.-- "Library Journal" With hundreds of photos spanning the years before, during and after the site's construction, the book lends context to the reclaimed urban space that has become one of the city's most popular attractions.-- "Wall Street Journal" Great . . . I thought there wasn't much I did not know about the High Line but I learned so much about the history and the neighborhood. People are going to love it.---Robert Hammond, co-founder, Friends of the High Line Rails to trails! Dead tech repurposed-beautiful, and insanely popular. FDR Drive, you're next!---David Byrne, musician, artist This book captures the experience of the High Line, setting it in historical and cultural context, and illustrating how a city can meld its industrial heritage into a vibrant new landscape that can be enjoyed by millions.---Piet Oudolf, landscape designer, the High Line