THE HIGHLINE on the west side of Manhattan was an abandoned train trestle. For the adventurous it was an oasis that you climbed up to and accessed with a quick hop over a fence. It was an escape from the endless bustle of the city, a quiet moment on this elevated overgrown stretch of forgotten pavement. I once went there when it was snowing with a friend at night. The lights of the buildings blurred and glowed thru the falling snow and it was the quietest most beautiful place on earth.
There was much talk of tearing it down, but somehow there was an epithany to preserve it and transform it to public park space. A competition was held (there were 720 submissions!) and it was won by the team of DILLER SCOFIDIO & RENFRO who partnered with a landscape architicture firm.
With the most thoughtful touch, it has retained its spirituality and that particularly special elevated view of the water and the city. The architecture and materiality references the former train rails while being elegantly modern and new.
Hooray for New York!!
(Check out Diller Scofidio's Blur Building! They are fabulous)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro / Blur Building
With love,
Mom