Welcome to the
New York Central System Historical Society
Updated June 9, 2009
The NYCSHS was organized in March 1970 by several former employees of the New York Central. The mission of the NYCSHS is to perpetuate the legacy of the New York Central railroad and its predecessor lines and subsidiary roads through the acquisition and preservation of their various histories, traditions, documents, records, and artifacts; and through the dissemination of accurate information in a manner that is consistent with good stewardship and preservation. Thank you for visiting, and enjoy your ride on the Water Level Route.
The park, which currently extends as far north as West 20th Street, is conceived as a series of interwoven events, like chapters of a book. Approached from the south along Washington Street in the meatpacking district, its 30-foot-high steel deck, supported on big steel columns and sliced off brutally at one end, makes for a striking contrast with the green, leafy landscape atop it. A street-level entry plaza, paved in concrete, is tucked underneath, and a broad metal staircase, with sleek brushed stainless-steel handrails, leads up to the structures underbelly. Rusted Corten steel plates line the opening in the deck's floor, emphasizing the violence of the cut.
