The High Line
Park entrance at Gansevoort and Washington Streets
Spencer Finch project at Chelsea Market Passage
(10th Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets)
Open 7:00AM to 10:00PM daily

The High Line – a railroad overpass built in the 1930s to allow the non-disruptive transport of goods within Manhattan – runs through three neighbourhoods: the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Hell’s Kitchen. Since it was last utilized in 1980, it has been the center of much public debate with many calling for its demolition.  In 2002, the organization Friends of the High Line won the battle to preserve this unique landmark and transform it into an elevated public park, as seen in many major European cities.  Running from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, the first section of the park opened to the public last week, displaying the beautiful and sensitive landscaping of James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro. 

Also on view in a former loading dock between 15th and 16th Streets is the inaugural site-specific art project The River That Flows Both Ways by the artist Spencer Finch.  The installation refashions the site’s casement windows with 700 multi-colored glass panes that represent the water conditions of the neighbouring Hudson River at 700 different points in the course of one day.

Image: Spencer Finch, Rendering of The River That Flows Both Ways (2007). Courtesy Creative Time