Founder Robert Hammond | Founded 1999 | |
Friends of the High Line is a private non-profit conservancy organization that maintains and operates the High Line, an elevated freight rail line transformed into a public park on Manhattan’s West Side.
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History
Friends of the High Line was founded in 1999 by Joshua David and Robert Hammond, both of whom lived nearby the unused, deteriorating rail line. The organization was initially formed as a small community group to advocate for the High Line’s preservation and transformation at a time when the historic structure was under the threat of demolition during Rudy Giuliani’s second mayoral term.
The organization is largely credited with saving the structure, by rallying public support for the park and convincing Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration in 2002 to support the project by filing a request with the United States Surface Transportation Board to create a public trail on the site.
Friends of the High Line also played a major role in the visual aesthetic of the High Line, holding a competition in conjunction with the city of New York in 2004 to determine the design team that would lead the project.
Since the park's opening in 2009, Friends of the High Line has held a licensing agreement with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation to serve as its primary steward. As part of the agreement, Friends of the High Line is responsible for the daily operations and maintenance of the park, which amount to more than $5 million a year.
Fundraising
Friends of the High Line has raised more than $150 million in public and private funds toward the construction of the first two sections of the High Line and has nearly reached a $125 million fundraising goal to complete the third and final phase of the High Line and grow the park's endowment.
Unlike the first two phases of the High Line, which the city contributed to significantly, Friends of the High Line was solely responsible for funding Phase 3 construction of the High Line running from 30th Street to 34th Street.
The third phase, which opened September 2014, is estimated to have cost roughly $35 million.
Friends of the High Line raises more than 90 percent of the park's annual operating budget from private donations. Its most notable fundraising events are the annual High Line Spring Benefit and the annual Summer Party on the High Line.
Management
Friends of the High Line maintains an office on Washington St., near the southern starting point of the High Line park in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District.
The organization has 80 full-time year-round employees and roughly 150 full-time employees during the summer season. It has an annual operating budget of $11.5 million, in addition to capital construction and management and fundraising expenses.
Friends of the High Line is currently run by President and Co-Founder Josh David, after former Executive Director Jenny Gersten stepped down in 2014. Previously, fellow co-founder Robert Hammond served as executive director until stepping down in February 2013.
Friends of the High Line has a 38-member board of directors. The board consists of many notable New York City figures of business and philanthropy, including Amanda Burden of Bloomberg Associates, Jane Lauder of Estée Lauder Companies, Jon Stryker of the Arcus Foundation, Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation, and others.