Hudson Yards in Manhattan in New York County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
High Line 1840 - Today
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 30, 2026
1. High Line 1840 - Today Marker
1840s An Industrial Waterfront
The West Side of Manhattan is the country's busiest industrial waterfront. In 1847, the City of New York authorizes street-level railroad tracks. Trains from Hudson River Railroad, which later becomes the New York Central Railroad, serve the industrial buildings along the West Side.
1851 Death Avenue
Street-level railroad traffic causes so many accidents that the West Side's freight corridor becomes known as "Death Avenue." New York Central Railroad hires men on horseback, called West Side Cowboys, to ride in front of trains, waving pedestrians out of the way.
1929 Building the High Line
After decades of debate, the City and State of New York and the New York Central Railroad begin the West Side Improvement Project, a massive infrastructure project to eliminate street-level rail corridors. The project transforms the West Side, eliminates 105 street-level railroad crossings, and includes an elevated section of track known as the High Line.
1934 Lifeline of New York
The High Line opens as an active freight rail line, running from West 34th Street to St. John's Park Terminal.
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1960s Decline
Industrial use begins to decline on Manhattan's West Side. The advance of the interstate highway system and the growth of the trucking industry lead to a reduction of rail traffic on the High Line and at other railroads across the United States. In the 1960s, the southernmost nine blocks of the High Line, from Clarkson Street to Bank Street, are demolished. Another five block section from Bank Street to Gansevoort Street is demolished in the 1990s.
1980s Nature Takes Over
In 1980, the last train rolls down the High Line carrying three carloads of frozen turkeys. For the next two decades, the High Line sits, unused, while nature begins to reclaim it. Seeds are carried in by the wind and by birds and insects, and begin to take root in the gravel ballast of the High Line. Over time, an entire self-seeded landscape emerges amid the steel railroad tracks, visible only to the few
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 30, 2026
2. High Line 1840 - Today Marker
1999 Friends of the High Line
Two neighborhood residents, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, meet at a community board meeting in West Chelsea, where local leaders are discussing plans to demolish the High Line. The two young New Yorkers form a non-profit group called Friends of the High Line to advocate for the High Line's preservation and transformation into public open space.
2002 A Partnership with the City
Michael R. Bloomberg is elected Mayor and reverses previous City policy, which favored demolition, and commits to the preservation and reuse of the High Line. The following year, the City Council, under the leadership of Speaker Gifford Miller and Councilwoman Christine C. Quinn, makes an initial capital commitment to convert the High Line into a public park.
2005 CSX Donates High Line
Following six years of close collaboration with the City of New York and Friends of the High Line, CSX Transportation donates the southern segment of the High Line. The City and CSX execute a Trail Use Agreement for the High Line, under the federal "Rails to Trails" program. Seven years later,
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 30, 2026
3. High Line 1840 - Today Marker
2009 – 2019 High Line Opens
Ten years after Friends of the High Line was first formed to advocate to save and transform the railway, the first section of the High Line, between Gansevoort and 20th Streets, opens in June 2009. The second section, between 20th and 30th Streets, follows suit quickly and opens in June 2011. The third section, between 30th and 34th Streets, opens in September 2014. The Spur, the final section of the original railway and one of the sections once most at danger of demolition, along 30th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, opens in June 2019.
Today A More Connected Neighborhood
The full length of historic, elevated railway has been transformed into public open space. The High Line now connects three neighborhoods along Manhattan's West Side—the Meatpacking District, Chelsea, and Hudson Yards. Looking ahead, with a new proposal for increased pedestrian connectivity on the West Side, you may soon be able to more easily walk from the High Line to Moynihan Train Hall to the east and Hudson River Park to the west.
Topics. This historical marker is
Photographed by Trudi Jacobson, September 30, 2026
4. High Line 1840 - Today Marker
Location. 40° 45.225′ N, 74° 0.265′ W. Marker is in Manhattan, New York, in New York County. It is in Hudson Yards. It can be reached from West 30th Street just west of 11th Avenue, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 605 W 30th Street, New York NY 10001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New York City. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Interim Walkway (here, next to this marker); Self-seeded & unfinished (here, next to this marker); Freight Rail on Manhattan’s West Side (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Mary Kubricht (b. 1946) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Freight Rail on Manhattan's West Side / High Line (approx. 0.2 miles away); High Line (approx. 0.2 miles away); Neighborhood Seniors (approx. 0.2 miles away); Death Avenue (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan.
More about this marker. Located on the elevated High Line above W 30th Street.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 5, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 5, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
