The History of the High
Line
The first rail tracks on the lower west side of Manhattan
were laid along 10th and 11th Avenues south from
Penn Station.
This was so dangerous that cowboys were hired to ride
ahead of trains to warn pedestrians.

THE HIGH LINE
Despite the warnings from the “West Side Cowboys”
there were so many accidents that 10th became known
as Death Avenue as trucks and workers from the docks
constantly crossed the tracks.

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As accidents mounted and traffic increased, pressure
increased for a solution to the dangerous problem.
North of Penn Station, the rail line along the west side
of Manhattan was moved underground and is still used
today.
South, negotiations resulted in the West Side
Improvement Project to raise the rail line above street
level.
This became known as the High Line.
It ran over the streets and through warehouses and
buildings it served.
The High Line opened in 1934.

THE HIGH LINE
The Original High Line Rail Line ran from the train yards
at 35th Street to St. John’s Park Terminal at Spring
Street, near where the Holland Tunnel currently enters
Manhattan.
It was 13 miles long.
It eliminated 105 street level rail crossings; required the
destruction of 640 buildings and ran directly through
factories and warehouses for loading and unloading.
Part of the project was the construction of an adjacent
elevated highway, known as the West Side Highway.

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THE HIGH LINE

THE HIGH LINE

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One key building was the sprawling Nabisco Factory on
Ninth Avenue, between 15th and 16th. There was also
a building on 10th.
Trains would deliver flour and other goods directly to
the factory, as the High Line ran through it.
The Oreo cookie was invented there in 1912.

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In 1960 the southernmost portion was demolished and
the High Line ended at Gansevoort Street.

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As trucking overtook rail for transportation of goods, use
of the High Line dropped. The last run was a train of
turkeys to the meat-packing district in 1980.

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New York Minute takes place in July 1977, when the
High Line was still partially in operation.
The protagonist, William Kane, holds court in Vic’s
Diner, caddy corner from the High Line’s stub on the
southeast corner of Gansevoort and Washington. This
plays a significant role in the book.

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After 1980, the High Line was abandoned and mostly
forgotten about. Nature began to take over.

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While debate over the fate of the elevated rail line went
on, trees grew and some people found the urban
wilderness.

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A proposal was put forth that instead of demolishing the
rail line, it should be repurposed into an urban trail for
pedestrian use. Construction began in 2006.

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As the lower West Side of Manhattan, the former
Meatpacking District, became more fashionable, the
High Line became one of the largest tourist attractions
in New York City.

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The Whitney Museum of American Art opened a new
building next to the stub of the High Line on
Gansevoort.

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The abandoned Nabisco Factory became the most
expensive property in Manhattan and is now Chelsea
Market.
You can see the High Line going through the re-
purposed factory, bought by Google in 2018 for $2.4
billion.
The climactic scene of New York Minute occurs in the

THE HIGH LINE

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But in 1977, Vic’s Diner, where Will Kane stops every
morning for breakfast, is caddy-corner from the stub of
the High Line, on the corner of Gansevoort and
Washington.
The lower West Side and the Meatpacking District, is
derelict, a sign of a city that appears ready to go down
the drain.

Jack Reacher meets the Equalizer
One of the top five new series of the year.
http://bobmayer.com/fiction/

About the author: Bob Mayer up in the Bronx, New York
City. He graduated West Point, served in the Infantry,
including leading a Infantry platoon, a Battalion scout
platoon, and a Brigade recon platoon in the First Cav
Division. Then Special Forces (Green Berets), as an A-
Team executive officer, and later commanding an A-
Team. After leaving active duty he studied martial arts in
the Orient and was brought back for numerous ADSW
(Active Duty Special Work) tours in Special Operations.
He is the New York Times bestselling author of over 80
books.