The High Line and San Antonio, there is a connection
This weekend, while reviewing some of the various events, I ran across an article in the Express-News about an upcoming lecture by Robert Hammond, co-founder of The High Line project. The event will be Tuesday, November 23, and is sponsored by the Architecture Foundation San Antonio. While I have already written about The High Line in an entry a couple of summers ago, I found out that the project actually has a San Antonio tie in Mr. Hammond, a native of our city.
Hammond and co-founder Joshua David rescued an old elevated rail line that ran through New York City and turned it into a vibrant linear park that continues to grow and expand. As pointed out in an article by New York Magazine the pair became the catalyst of a movement to transform the structure into something different, assembling a who’s who of NYC to help with the effort, including Edward Norton, Clifford Miller, and Diane Von Furstenberg.
“The idea of a park on a railbed in the sky can be a little hard to get your head around, especially if your only vantage point is looking up from street level at its rusted, pigeon-shit-scarred underbelly. ‘But the moment Robert got me up there, I fell in love with it,’ says Miller. ‘You’re in the clouds, as it were—on the level of the Jetsons.’”
That really captures the essence of the park which has become a magnet for New Yorkers wanting to get out and enjoy some green space in the middle of the city. I applaud Hammond and David for taking on this project and nurturing the idea to become a model for other cities. At a time when more and more people are moving back into the urban cores it’s important to provide these sort of green spaces to help get people outdoors and meet each other.
San Antonio has a great opportunity in this area as Mayor Castro is working to rebuild the urban core of our city. With the new Museum Reach our city may have its own version of The High Line, albeit below ground along the San Antonio River. However, I think there are many other areas where we can expand and create linear parks.
Just this past weekend city leaders and Westside residents cut the ribbon on a new linear park built along Apache Creek just north of Commerce by Our Lady of the Lake University. The Apache Creek Greenway is a great example of turning what once was just creek bed into a place where Westside residents can enjoy walking or biking beside the creek. Hopefully we’ll see more of these type of linear parks, eventually establishing a network of parks that will allow residents to hike and bike throughout the city.
Tuesday I plan to be in the audience to hear what Hammond has to say about his work with The High Line. I’m hoping his words will help inspire more to look for opportunities in San Antonio. It could lead to a greater investment in our neighborhoods.
