This summer in New York, the last section of the famous High Line flyover park opened to the public: the so-called The Spur, a branch that branches off from the main route next to the new complex of Hudson Yards. This neighborhood in the late 2000s threatened the preservation of this part of the historic overpass for freight trains delivering food to Lower Manhattan: the Related Companies developer believed the construction would interfere with his mega-project. Fortunately, he was persuaded.
The Spur emerges from the High Line at the border between the second and third phases of the park, where the flyover
turns sharply west towards the Hudson River. This line (the word spur in this case means this railroad term) led to the still operating Morgan postal sorting center: trains were unloaded and loaded on the top tier of the building.
The authors of The Spur are the same as those of the entire High Line: landscape architect James Corner and his bureau Field Operations, architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro and gardener Pete Audolf.
Nowadays, the townspeople and tourists walking along the flyover, turning onto the "Branch", first find themselves in the "Coach Pass". This 18-meter-high ceiling gallery is built into the Hudson Yards 10 skyscraper, headquartered by Coach, a key sponsor of the High Line. Landscaped balconies protrude from the gallery, allowing you to look at the surrounding skyscrapers and streets from an unusual angle.
Then visitors pass through the "Threshold" - the only "forest" site in the park, which in the future should grow even more and form a shady alley. In the finale, a square awaits them, where they can rest on the teak steps, but more importantly, the function of spectator seats. High Line has long lacked a large space for parties, concerts and other events: now this deficit has been eliminated.
The most interesting component of this square is the "Pedestal", a site where works of monumental art will change every year and a half. The first sculpture there was a 5-meter bronze "Brick House", an image of a black woman by Simone Leigh.
On the square, there is a section of historical railway tracks that led to the postal sorting center. There are also vistas from there along 10th Avenue and 30th Street.
