2. History
Mid-1980s
• A group of property owners lobbies for
demolition of the entire High Line.
• Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist, and
railroad enthusiast, challenges demolition
efforts in court and tries re-establishing rail
service.
Picture & Source: http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history

3. Peter Obletz
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/nyregion/thecity/13oble.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1350756608-
Ci19l3z4ZX+kx06sM2IYhQ

4. History
1999
• Friends of the High Line is founded by
Joshua David and Robert Hammond to
advocate for the High Line's preservation
and reuse as public open space.
Picture & Source: http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history

5. History
2001 – 2002
• Architect Casey Jones conducts research and
outreach for "Reclaiming the High Line," a
planning study which lays out planning
framework for the High Line's preservation
and reuse.
Source: http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history

6. The High Line! 
Picture Source: http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_High_Line.pdf

7. 2002-2003
 The City files with the federal Surface
Transportation Board for railbanking, making
it City policy to preserve and reuse the High
Line.
 An open ideas competition, "Designing the
High Line," solicits proposals for the High
Line's reuse. 720 teams from 36 countries enter.
Source: http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history

8. March – September 2004
 Friends of the High Line and the City of New York
conduct a process to select a design team for the
High Line. The selected team is:
 James Corner Field Operations, a landscape architecture
firm, and
 Diller Scofidio + Renfro, an architecture firm
April 2006
 Construction begins on the Highline
June 2008
 All construction is finished, all parts of the
Highline are opened to the public;
artwork, wooden boardwalks, etc. are
included
Source: http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history

9. Before (1980s)
Source: http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_High_Line.pdf

10. After (2000)
Source: http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_High_Line.pdf

11. Features: Nature
•After abandonment, wild grasses and flowers grew over the
tracks, forming a natural meadow in the neighborhood.
•According to Joshua David, author of Reclaiming the High Line, this
greenery:
Provides a refuge in nature for busy New Yorkers
 Serves as a botanical garden, and the Horticultural Society of NY has
expressed interest in it
 Can serve as a refuge for birds and butterflies
Source: http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_High_Line.pdf

12. Features: Arts and Open Space
Spaces atop and below the structure can:
• Serve as exhibition space for art.
• Serve as performance spaces for dance.
• Create a place for local markets (though not
big malls)
Source: http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_High_Line.pdf

13. Artworks
Pictures starting
clockwise: Thomas
Houseago, Lying Figure;
Various Artists, Lilliput;
Virginia
Overton, Untitled
Source: http://thehighline.org/about/public-art

14. Sources
• Slides 2, 4, 5, 7, 8:
http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-histo
• Slides 2, 3: Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/nyregion/thec
ity/13oble.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=13507566
08-Ci19l3z4ZX+kx06sM2IYhQ
• Slides 6, 9, 10, 11, 12:
http://www.designtrust.org/pubs/01_Reclaiming_Hi
gh_Line.pdf
• Slide 13: http://thehighline.org/about/public-art