High Line Opening Roundup

After years of fund raising, labor, and eager anticipation, New York’s newest structural reclamation is open to the public. The raised swath of green takes visitors off of the streets and into a new artificial urban canopy. Many have already flocked to the High Line this week, whether hoping for a new perspective above an old city, or simply curious. We’ve gathered some of the most interesting reactions to Manhattan’s newest park, both visual and written.

Wallpaper presents a beautifully shot and interestingly narrated short film, detailing in motion both its history and its singular, hybridized union of industrial materials and flora.

Inhabitat offers a interesting variety of photos along the course of the High Line, along with remarks on the design implications of the High Line—calling it “a tangible manifestation of what the future could look like.”

Michael Surtees’ DesignNotes presents a similar collection of beautiful photos and musings. Although the High Line is only open for the length of a few blocks, Surtees says the view from the park is already “quite a visual feast. There’s the gritty side, there’s the flashy architecture side, there’s the historic side, there’s the the Empire State Building side and then there’s the Jersey side (which isn’t too bad either).”

New York Magazine offers a fascinating analysis the High Line within the context of recent buildings in the vicinity of the park, noting that “As the park makes its debut, the neighbors are waking up from a building binge, looking a little goofy.”

More information on the project can be found at Friends of the High Line.