Welcome to the online companion to the book On the High Line, by Annik LaFarge, published in a 3rd edition, fully revised and updated, by Fordham University Press / Empire State Editions in spring 2024 to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the opening of the park on June 8, 2009 and the 90th anniversary of the dedication of the New York Central Railroad’s elevated freight line on June 29, 1934.

This website was designed to mirror the sections of the book, with page numbers for handy reference. This makes it easy for a reader — whether she’s walking in the park or curled up at home — to appreciate the deep history of this place. There are 9 sections in the book (including the opening chapter, “Introducing the High Line”), which are made up of short entries describing a place, building, plants & horticulture, monuments, architectural details, features of the landscape, relics of the industrial era, and much more.

Photography in the printed book is limited to black & white images, but here on the companion website, which is organized into the same 9 sections as the book, you’ll find multiple views for each entry: historic, contemporary, rooftop and aerial. In essence, this website serves as a pictorial history of the many landscapes the High Line traverses, showing you the past, present, and even (with the never-ending, ongoing construction) a glimpse of the future.

All photos that appear here were taken by Annik LaFarge, unless otherwise noted with copyright text in the captions. The author expresses deep gratitude to the many photographers who granted permission to use their work here and in the printed edition of On the High Line, as well as the many early photographers — essential figures like Percy Loomis Sperr, Berenice Abbott and teams of anonymous New York City photographers who, between 1939 and 1941, shot every building in the five boroughs for the Tax Department under the Works Progress Administration and painstakingly compiled a pictorial record of New York City. It’s in tribute to them that this website is dedicated.

Note: if you have information about a photographer listed as Unknown, please contact Annik via the contact form.