Meatpacking and the High Line: Industrial Heritage at a Crossroads

• PHOTOS

The meandering, block-paved streets of Manhattan's meatpacking district and the old, steel rail tracks of the elevated train that runs overhead—the so-called "High Line"—provide a glimpse back through time to an era when New York lay at the crossroads of American commerce. Although upscale restaurants and boutique clothiers occupy many of the old meat lockers and have transformed the area into one of the most exciting destinations in the city, it is still possible to explore the industrial heritage of the city to understand its crucial role in history. During this two-and-a-half-hour walking seminar through the meat-packing district and along the newly opened High Line Park, in the company of an urban historian, architectural historian, or preservationist, we'll trace the history of New York's industrial age from the 1840s to the 1940s. 

Using the warehouses and market spaces still standing, including several of the earliest examples of refrigerated indus

The meandering, block-paved streets of Manhattan's meatpacking district and the old, steel rail tracks of the elevated train that runs overhead—the so-called "High Line"—provide a glimpse back through time to an era when New York lay at the crossroads of American commerce. Although upscale restaurants and boutique clothiers occupy many of the old meat lockers and have transformed the area into one of the most exciting destinations in the city, it is still possible to explore the industrial heritage of the city to understand its crucial role in history. During this two-and-a-half-hour walking seminar through the meat-packing district and along the newly opened High Line Park, in the company of an urban historian, architectural historian, or preservationist, we'll trace the history of New York's industrial age from the 1840s to the 1940s. 

Using the warehouses and market spaces still standing, including several of the earliest examples of refrigerated industrial buildings in the U.S., we'll begin our walk by looking at the rise of the meatpacking industry, industrial innovation, and urban planning in this part of Manhattan. We'll trace the rise of this area back to the opening of the Erie Canal and development of the great American trade routes in the 19th century, we'll begin our walk by looking at  at the architectural remnants of commerce and the stunning architectural details still evident in this neighborhood, including the predominance of brick facades, the aesthetic reign of certain architects, the use of metal canopies, and, of course, the wonderful Belgian block paving still visible on most streets. Along the way we'll learn how the meatpacking industry declined (along with the Hudson waterfront) with the rise of containerized shipping, and some of the innovative preservation work that's going on here that, in turn, has made the area one of the hottest locales on the island.

With the basic history under our belt, we'll turn our attention to the High Line, a former elevated freight railroad built in  1933 by the New York Central Railroad. At the time of its construction, the High Line was an innovative and efficient way to move freight from warehouse to trains, and avoid the recurring theft that plagued streetcar services. Such businesses as Bell Laboratories and Nabisco, which ran plants and warehouses in the meatpacking district benefited from this greatly.

After sitting abandoned and broken for several decades, the High Line was  rescued by a robust nonprofit and converted into a stunning elevated park, or greenway, similar to the Promenade
Plantée in Paris. Designed by architects Diller Scofidio Renfro along with the acclaimed landscape firm Field Operations, the High Line has rapidly become one of the most beloved open spaces in the city. We'll enter the park at 12th and Gansevoort and walk all the way to the end at 22nd Street. Along the way, our docent will explain the role the line served in the early part of the 20th century as a kind of main artery or life line for industry. Among the details we'll discuss is the innovative original design, which brought the railway through buildings, allowing companies to load freight cars direct from their platforms. We will also focus heavily on the conservation of the High Line, it's redevelopment, and the thorny political and design issues that lined its path to redemption. We'll emerge with a strong appreciation for American industrial heritage and how old, rusty places like the High Line and Meatpacking District can find new life in the contemporary city.  

Our walk will end with a view towards Hell's Kitchen, the
rough-and-tumble New York neighborhood made famous in West Side Story and intimately connected to the High Line and history of American industrial history.