Highline

Some of New York’s most fashionable buildings are located around the High Line; fitting since Chelsea has become the most desirable neighborhood in the city in the last decade.

Some of the newer buildings are products of a luxury condo boom, while others have been around for a bit longer and are enjoying the nouveau chic status that’s been brought about by the revitalized neighborhood around the High Line. The world’s best designers have contributed to this architectural renaissance and anyone who is up for a walk can see their super-stylish creations. Let’s take a stroll up the High Line and check out some of these unique buildings!

The Standard

Imagine dancing the night away in an exclusive penthouse discothèque, or watching the sunset, martini in hand, spread across the Manhattan skyline. With the entire building composed of floor-to-ceiling windows, The Standard offers some of the best views in the city. The hotel’s design coincided with the revitalization of the area and architect Todd Schliemann explained that he wanted The Standard to stand out but also respect the importance of the High Line. So, in regards to the elevated rail line-turned public park, Schliemann said, “We are not going to make it go through the building, or build around it, or hide it behind the building. We are not only going to step over it, we are going to exist above it.”
848 Washington Street

DVF Studio Headquarters

When an iconic fashion designer moves into a neighborhood dubbed the Meatpacking District, you know the times they are a changin’. Diane von Furstenberg’s design studio and flagship store actually started out as two separate Victorian redbrick buildings. A concrete staircase was built to close the space between them, and also serve as a walkway upstairs to the unmissable geometric crystal on the roof, which is von Furstenberg’s private penthouse suite. Situated less than a half mile away from husband Barry Diller’s media empire in the IAC building, von Furstenberg’s headquarters sits within the borders of the Gansevoort Market Historic District. 874 Washington St

Maritime Hotel

It makes more sense to know that this nautical-themed building started out not as a hotel, but as the headquarters of the National Maritime Union of America. The union, much like the rail line that gradually evolved into the High Line, was a casualty of progress—commerce in the Port of New York decreased and the union went out of business. In the eighties, the building was purchased by Covenant House and operated as a drug rehabilitation center. Its next owner was the Chinese government and its purpose was to provide residences for students and artists. Now a luxury boutique hotel with a round porthole window in every room, it’s one of the trendiest accommodation options in the city. 363 W. 16th St.

IAC Building “The Sail Building”

Viewed from a particular angle and in a particular light, the InterActiveCorp’s headquarters looks like a mighty sailboat floating among the glass and steel of Chelsea. This is Frank Gehry’s first building in New York City, and its whimsical design signified a shift from the city’s traditional Art Deco skyscrapers. Head of IAC’s Barry Diller was said to be very involved in the design of the building; he wanted an open, collaborative atmosphere for his employees. The milky-tinted glass reflects the sky by day, and at night, the light plays with the building’s folds and corners, and changes its shape almost magically. 555 W. 18th St.

100 Eleventh Avenue

Tucked just behind—but certainly not overshadowed by—the IAC building is this luxury apartment tower. The building’s “curtain wall” effect was created by angling each of the nearly 1,700 pieces of colorless glass panes in different directions. This creates the rough, uneven façade and allows the residents some privacy. It also provides them with sweeping city views and plenty of natural light. It was designed by prominent French architect Jean Nouvel, whose most recent project, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, opened in November, 2017. 100 11th Ave.

HL-23

Residents of this luxury condo building may feel like they’re floating above the High Line at 23rd St. They may also feel like they’re living in a fishbowl with those floor-to-ceiling glass windows facing straight out onto one of New York’s most popular tourist attractions. The building’s smooth wavy steel is close enough to the walkway almost for pedestrians to touch, and if a resident came out onto their puzzle-piece-shaped balcony, a passerby on the High Line could strike up an easy conversation. Luckily, HL-23 dwellers are rewarded with some of the best views in the city, and one of the most ultra-modern living spaces around.
517 W 23rd St

520 West 28th

There are no sharp, angular corners on this brand new luxury condo building; only fluid lines of glass and steel that mirror the sky and everything else that surrounds it. The stunning architecture is slightly overshadowed by the untimely death of its visionary designer, Zaha Hadid, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 65. It was the Iraqi-British architect’s only building in New York, and whether that was her intention or not, she set the luxury meter sky-high. Amenities include a Turkish hammam style spa, an automated valet, and a private IMAX theater. 520 W. 28th St.

10 Hudson Yards

New York City hasn’t seen a real estate development of this magnitude since Rockefeller Center was completed in 1933. That should provide a clue as to the scale of Hudson Yards, the urban renewal project which is completely transforming the western Manhattan skyline. 10 Hudson Yards, at 52 stories high, is the first completed tower of this massive project; when it’s finished there will be buildings that are home to brand new shops, restaurants, residences, and even a public school. The current tenants at 10 Hudson Yards include high-end businesses such as Coach Inc., L’Oréal USA, and The Boston Consulting Group. 10 Hudson Yards

Michele DeBella is a freelance travel writer based in New York City. She loves traveling to new places around the world, but also appreciates the challenge of finding new and unexpected adventures right at home. Fortunately in New York, those adventures are endless.

Death Avenue. Two words that strike fear in the souls of mortal men.

Death Avenue was a nickname for both 10th and 11th Avenues from 1846 to 1941. During this time, large freight trains come down 10th Ave; which would back up to numerous loading docks. The down side of this was the fact that these trains would run down the street among carts, horses, cars, pedestrians and children. Unfortunately, gruesome deaths were very common. There was a report issued in 1908 that said in over 56 years, 436 people had been killed on the line. In 1894; a man, who lost his leg to the railroad, lit a bonfire on the tracks as a protest. In that same year, a watchman stationed up on 40th Street, who had saved many lives over his decades of duty, was killed by an engine that proceeded without his signal. The engine had earned a nickname, too: The Butcher!

So many people were killed by these trains, that in the 1850’s, the railroad companies began hiring real life cowboys from back out west to move to New York, so they could ride on horseback in front of the trains while waving red flags or red lanterns at night to warn people that the trains were coming. These Urban Cowboys became known as the West Side Cowboys.

In 1908, the death of a 7-year-old while playing with his friends sparked a protest march by 500 schoolchildren. The city began refusing to accept the annual license fee from the railroad companies to allow the trains to come into the city. The railroad began fighting back, claiming that it brought three million tons of food into New York annually, and that the term Death Avenue was a “Malicious Piece of Sensationalism.” Slowly there was real pressure put on the railroad to eliminate the street-level tracks. In 1929, an agreement was reached to build an elevated rail system that zig-zagged through the old factories themselves so then the trains would be off the street level. The last cowboy rode down 10th Ave on March 29, 1941. His horse named Cyclone led a string of fourteen freight cars loaded with oranges. A team of reporters covered the event.

The Highline was built in the 1930’s after years of public debate about the dangerous railroad conditions in the city.

The City and State of New York, as well as the New York Central Railroad agreed to lift the tracks 30ft (9m) into the air thereby eliminating Death Avenue. The entire project was 13 miles (21k) long and eliminated 105 street level railroad crossings. It cost over $150 Million in 1930 – more than $2 Billion in costs if it was built today.

The elevated railway is now known as the Highline is now a beautiful park, which you can visit! One of TopDogTours highest reviewed walking tours; 2 Markets, A Highline, and a Meatpacking District Tour, includes an in-depth look into how the railway became one of New York’s most sought after tourist sites. Our group and private tours are offered every day and begin at 10am (or whenever you want if you book privately) on the corner of 9th Ave and 15th St. in front of the Chelsea Market. Come out and explore one of the most changed neighborhoods in New York City.