If you are walking near West 26th Street and 10th Avenue, look up. You will notice a new addition to the High Lineāthe Viewing Spur is starting to take shape. Crews have hoisted the 22-by-11-foot painted steel frame into place, giving us a hint of what will soon be one of Section 2’s most dynamic design features. The Viewing Spur is meant to recall the billboards that were once attached to the structure of the High Line. This frame, though, will enhance views of the High Line and the city, rather than blocking them as the billboards once did. The Viewing Spur will be surrounded by shrubs and trees, such as Flameleaf sumacs (Rhus copallina), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and Greenbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana ‘Greenbay’). At the foot of the frame, a platform with wood benches will invite High Line visitors to sit and enjoy views of the neighborhood. Meanwhile, passers-by on the street will look up and see people in the place of advertisements. We think it will be one of the best places for people watching when Section 2 opens next spring.
“Only when the extension of the High Line Park opens next Spring, will we see the true value of it’s ability to connect neighborhoods,” says Leonard Steinberg, publisher of LUXURYLETTER and managing director of Prudenital Douglas Elliman. “This park will connect the sensational gallery district of West Chelsea to the vibrant Meatpacking District and Greenwich Village. What surrounds this park will be simply amazing, and already we can witness the creation of an entirely new quality of life for Manhattan living.”