Boston Flora

Tag: Friends of the High Line

  • Wednesday, November 14, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm, and Thursday, November 15, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – The Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design: The High Line

    Please join The Harvard Graduate School of Design for two days of events in conjunction with the 2017 Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, awarded to the High Line. The events begin Wednesday, November 14 at 6:30 PM with remarks in the GSD’s Piper Auditorium followed by a reception in the Druker Design Gallery to celebrate the opening of the exhibition. Thursday, November 15 from 12:00 – 1:30 PM, the GSD will host a panel discussion exploring the enduring impact of The High Line.

    The 13th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design has been awarded to the High Line in New York, designed collaboratively by James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf. The prize committee has elected to allot the monetary prize of $50,000 associated with the award to Friends of the High Line, in recognition of the organization’s originating efforts and continued stewardship behind the project.

    The High Line, a linear public park built on elevated freight rail on Manhattan’s West Side, has been hailed as a model of urban regeneration and of collaboration across fields and perspectives. In summarizing the deliberation process, the Green Prize jury noted that a great urban-design project is one where multiple actors spanning public and private domains are involved in and committed to lasting urban change. For complete information visit http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/the-veronica-rudge-green-prize-in-urban-design-the-high-line/

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  • Wednesday, May 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Evoking Nature: Form and Function on the High Line

    Wednesday, May 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Evoking Nature: Form and Function on the High Line

    The High Line in Manhattan was born of a city that is constantly reinventing itself. Built on a mile-and-a-half long elevated railroad, this dynamic landscape was inspired by the tenacity of plants in its industrial setting, and it uses a matrix of perennial and woody plants to evoke a natural landscape. Wildly successful and overwhelmingly popular, caring for this garden in the sky poses unique challenges. Andi will describe how her team uses traditional and innovative horticultural techniques, how they work to promote the park’s biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and how they foster an emotional connection to nature in this challenging urban environment.

    As Director of Horticulture for the Friends of the High Line, Andi Pettis leads a world-class team of gardeners who care for this beloved elevated park in Manhattan. Andi’s horticulture career in New York City spans nearly two decades, including work in both private and public garden settings, park management, and teaching at the New York Botanical Garden. Join Grow Native Massachusetts on Wednesday, May 2 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, at 7 pm for a free lecture featuring Andi Pettis. For more information visit http://www.grownativemass.org/programs/eveningswithexperts. Photo by Liz Ligon of Ms. Pettis carrying a tote bag designed for the Friends of the High Line by Diane von Furstenburg.

  • Tuesday, May 2, 6:00 pm – Esplanade Association’s 16th Annual Meeting

    The Esplanade Association will be hosting their 16th Annual Meeting on Tuesday evening, May 2nd at the Algonquin Club in Boston. The public is invited to attend the meeting at which the organization will share what they have accomplished over the past year in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and what they have planned for 2017 as they continue their mission to make life better on the Charles River Esplanade.

    The evening will also feature guest speaker, John Alschuler, Chairman at HR&A Advisors, an internationally recognized multidisciplinary firm focused on increasing the vitality of urban life. Also, Mr. Alschuler is Emeritus Chair of the Friends of the High Line. Since founding the New York office of HR&A in 1984, he has developed bold plans that have reshaped waterfronts, downtown districts and neighborhoods. Specifically, in Boston, HR&A is the lead consultant for Imagine Boston 2030 and is playing an influential role in the Barr Foundation’s work on Boston’s Harbor. As a part of the Annual Meeting, Mr. Alschuler will speak about the significant relationship between parks and city life, as well as public-private partnerships, which is a topic that is very relevant to the Esplanade Association.

    The meeting will be from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Algonquin Club located at 217 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. For those interested in attending please RSVP to afischer@esplanadeassociation.org as space is limited. For more information visit esplanadeassociation.org.

  • Tuesday, April 29, 10:00 am – Boston Committee Spring Lecture and Luncheon

    The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America will hold its Spring 2014 Lecture and Luncheon on Tuesday, April 29, at The Country Club, 191 Clyde Street, Brookline.  Guest speaker Catie Marron, co-chair of the board of directors of Friends of the High Line, and Vogue magazine editor, is the author of the recently released book City Parks: Public Places, Private Thoughts.  “We live in our parks, and our parks live in us.  Parks are where we make loose appointments with friends, where we smooth out our nerves, where we introduce our babies to the outside world.  Parks are of the earth, they are of the people, and they are first and foremost, free.”  Catie will escort us on a literary and photographic journey focused on the gift of Parks in our lives.

    Registration and coffee will begin at 10:00 am, and the lecture begins at 10:30 am.  An optional luncheon will follow the lecture.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive a written invitation and a car pool notice in the mail.  For others who wish to attend, email info@bostoncommittee.org.

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  • Tuesday, April 29, 10:00 am – Boston Committee Spring Lecture and Luncheon

    Tuesday, April 29, 10:00 am – Boston Committee Spring Lecture and Luncheon

    Garden Club of the Back Bay and other Boston Committee club members will receive a written invitation to the spring meeting.  If you are interested in attending, and are not a member of a Boston Committee club, please email info@bostoncommittee.org for more information.

     

     

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  • Saturday, October 19, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – The High Line

    Saturday, October 19, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – The High Line

    Located in the heart of Manhattan’s lower west side, the High Line has become one of the most popular park-gardens in New York City.  This unique park is the restoration of a 1.45 mile section of the former elevated New York Central Railroad West Side Line.  Inspired by Paris’ Promenade Plantee, this aerial greenway currently extends from Gansevoort Street to 30th Street.

    Through collaborative efforts started in 1999, Friends of the High Line successfully preserved and transformed this extraordinary public space.  Owned by the City of New York, The High Line is maintained by the non-profit High Line Conservancy working with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.  With Phase 1 and Phase 2, opened in 2009 and 2011 respectively, the Friends of the High Line are actively working toward the third and final section, which would run between West 30th and West 34th Streets.

    The restoration began with removal of everything down to the steel and concrete structure, in order to safely accommodate the public.  The public space blends plant life (inspired by the self-seeded landscape that once grew on the abandoned track) with long walking paths, a water feature, viewing platforms, a sundeck, and gathering areas for performances, art exhibitions and educational programs. The majority of the plant species in the design of Section 1 are native to New York.

    Join Tom Smarr, Director of Horticulture at the High Line, for an insider’s view of the High Line’s sustainable design elements such as the re-purposing of industrial infrastructure as public green space; the green roof design function that uses porous pathways to allow stormwater to irrigate adjacent planting beds, and the use of native plants to enhance habitat value and contribute to urban habitat corridors.  Tom will explain the ecological management practices and will discuss High Line successes and challenges.  This tour, scheduled for Saturday, October 19 from 9 – 11 in New York (rain or shine) is sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association and costs $20 for ELA members, $25 for nonmembers.  For more information email ela.info@comcast.net. Advance registration is required.

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  • Wednesday, August 1, 7:30 pm – Shopping for Paradise: Gathering Perspective in the Pursuit of Plants

    Shopping for plants has gotten confusing. With the unending new plant varieties available, how do you distinguish real value from novelty? How do you discern great plants from the not-so-good, and does buying the best plants lead to the best gardens?

    Join Patrick Cullina at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, on Wednesday, August 1 beginning at 7:30 pm as he explores methods for navigating the nursery, shopping for the garden, and strategies for selecting beautiful plants one might otherwise miss. Cullina is a consultant, horticultural designer, and photographer who previously served as vice president of horticulture and park operations for Friends of the High Line in New York City as well as vice president at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. $10/$5 for PHA members. Sponsored by Middletown Nursery. To register, visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 pm – High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky

    The 2012 Esther Steinberg Memorial Architecture Lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will take place Wednesday, March 14, beginning at 7 pm in the Remis Auditorium at the MFA.  Robert Hammond, co-founder and executive director, Friends of the High Line, will share the story of how the High Line, a new public park atop an elevated freight rail structure in Manhattan, became an innovative urban reclamation project.  Hammond and his co-founder collaborated with neighbors, elected officials, artists, local business owners, and leaders in horticulture and landscape architecture, to create a park celebrated as a model for creatively designed, socially vibrant, ecologically sound public space.  A book signing follows.  This is a ticketed event ($15 MFA members, $18 others) and tickets may be reserved by calling 1-800-440-6975, going in person to the Remis Auditorium box office at the Museum, or visiting www.mfa.org.  Because this event will undoubtedly sell out, we recommend buying tickets early.