Thursday, February 16, 2012

Alex von Furstenberg and helping transform the High Line

Alex von Furstenberg Photo credit: Davidberko​witz



Transformation plays a vital role in improving lives. Alex von Furstenberg and the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation (DVFFF) played a huge role in transforming High Line from an illustration of disuse and dilapidation to a colorful garden—an example of meaningful change right at the western part of Manhattan.



The High Line was formerly an elevated railroad that ran along Manhattan’s West Side. Built in the 1930s, it was meant to raise trains up to 30 feet above ground-level traffic to avoid accidents. In the 1950s, the interstate trucking industry developed, greatly reducing rail traffic in the High Line. Its use gradually waned until the tracks were used for the last time in 1980.



Alex von Furstenberg Photo Credit: lensepix



Two decades later, Alex von Furstenberg and the DVFFF donated $20 million to the City of New York—the largest single donation made for a public park. The sum was to be used for the completion and maintenance of High Line Park, now a colorful aerial garden overlooking Manhattan’s West Side, a far throw from the old railway that almost got demolished had concerned individuals not interfered. The railway’s gravel had given way to flowers of different hues, and most of the tracks disappeared beneath mats of verdant grass and low plants.



The High Line is proof that with proper support, change and progress are possible. With help from concerned individuals and entities, what was once an eyesore became a place of beauty—inviting more and more people as additional sections of the park are developed and opened to the public.

Alex von Furstenberg Photo credit: Davidberko​witz



Learn more about Alex von Furstenberg and his philanthropy at www.alexvonfurstenberg.org.