On the High Line! Photos Show a Park Ready for Its Plants

Construction seems to be moving along on the High Line, the 1930s rail viaduct in Chelsea that's being converted to a park, as we were given a tour earlier this week and snapped a few photos along the way. Section 1, which runs from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, is slated to open before the end of the year, and, as pictured, the walkways are being put into place with the vegetation to follow [preliminary renderings of Section 1 are available here].

Later this month, Friends of the High Line, the mastermind group behind the whole venture, is planning to release designs for Section 2, which runs up to 28th Street. Section 3, which runs into the West Side rail yards, will be designed by the Related Companies as part of its development of the yards.

More photos:

The project has acted as a super powerful magnet for great architecture, attracting the likes of Frank Gehry, who designed the IAC building above, along with a long, growing list of top architects for generally smaller hotels, offices and apartment buildings.

A shot at the base of the Standard, the hotel under constuction. Vegetation will grow through the rail tracks, which were carted off while the viaduct was renovated, then put back in place in the same spot, Friends of the High Line co-founder Robert Hammond told us.

The Standard, again.

This is up by 29th Street, looking north.