The southern part of the High Line opened as a park in 2009, the northern part was added in 2014, and on Wednesday there will also be a small detour over 10th Avenue. “The Spur” becomes part of the High Line, which is now one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. More than seven million people stroll through the successful project, which has since been imitated worldwide – so many that on sunny days there is almost a kind of permanent traffic jam.
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“The Spur” leads nowhere, but that wasn’t always the case. In the mid-1930s, an elevated railway line was built in southwest Manhattan so that freight trains could deliver their goods directly to the upper floors of the factories and warehouses located there. The route is around 2.5 kilometers long, mostly straight with a large curve in the northern part – and the new side detour roughly at the level of the Empire State Building. It was once built so that freight trains could bring letters and parcels to and from the US Post Office’s distribution center that was once adjacent to it.
“The Spur” is supposed to bring new space, for walking, sitting, seeing and being seen, for flowers and trees, but also for art: Brick House, an almost five meter high bust of an Afro-American woman made by the artist Simone Leigh, marks the beginning and which should be there until September.
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In the video: 24h @ New York City – In the most attractive city in the world
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The demolition was already a done deal
In the eighties the route had become fallow and the connection between the “Spur” junction and the mail distribution center was cut. More and more trucks were used. In 1980 the last train went over today’s High Line – frozen turkeys on board. The route was rotting and with it the surrounding neighborhoods, marked by the stinking meat industry, mountains of rubbish, street prostitution, crime and drugs.
It is thanks to the persistence of Joshua David and Robert Hammond that the High Line even exists. The neighbors got to know each other at a community meeting and developed a vision: The High Line, whose demolition had already been decided, was to become a park. They complained, mobilized celebrities like actor Edward Norton and designer Diane von Fürstenberg, raised millions – and ultimately succeeded.
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New thinking about public space
The rails of the route have remained in many places, in between now asters, petunias and goldenrods are blooming, there are paths and benches. And panoramic views open up, such as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. There are food stands, guided tours through the flower beds, free sports courses, stargazing together, concerts and activities for children. “We’ve created a new way of thinking about public space in New York and everywhere else,” says founder David.
The “Spur” detour was once one of the most threatened with demolition. Among other things, the high-line operators protested with red T-shirts with “Save the Spur” print. “The Spur is an important reminder of New York’s industrial heritage,” says co-founder Hammond. “There is still a lot to be done, but this shows what can happen when members of a community get together.”
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