Press

ALBANY, N.Y. - The New York State Museum will host The High Line: A City Divided, A City United from May 4, 2001 through February 24, 2002. The exhibition tells the story of the construction of elevated railways in Elmira, New York, in the 1930s, and of their impact on the community.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Elmira was served by four railroads: the Pennsylvania; Erie; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; and Lehigh Valley. By the mid-1920s, the automobile had become popular and the expanded volume of auto traffic meant these two forms of transportation were increasingly in conflict. The solution that was settled on was to elevate the railroads.

"We're very proud of this exhibition," said Constance Barone, Director of the Chemung Valley History Museum, which organized it. "It serves as a focal point for placing the Chemung Valley's historical events into a broader perspective and expands on two major themes of Valley history - transportation and urban life. It could not have happened without the assistance of staff at the New York State Archives and the New York State Museum."

The exhibition features nearly 100 photographs from the New York State Archives that document the project. Images are included of the workers and the machinery involved, and of the structures themselves in various stages of completion.

"The photos show how intimately urban dwellers once lived with railroads and how pervasive those railroads were," said Geoffrey Stein, a historian with the New York State Museum who served as a consultant on the exhibition. "It's hard for modern New Yorkers to realize how important railroads once were for transportation of people and goods. And it's difficult to conceive how many tracks there once were and how close to those tracks were roadways, sidewalks, commercial buildings, factories and residences."

"Today there will be, for the first time in more than 100 years, a united Elmira," declared Governor Herbert Lehman on October 25, 1934, celebrating the completion of the project. However, the elevated railway system merely created a new problem, one that left the city more literally divided.

"Unfortunately for the city, the new, overhead structure, which runs about six city blocks north from the Chemung River, provided a visual divide where before it was only the passing trains which seemed a barrier between east and west," said Geoffrey Stein.

For further information about The High Line: A City Divided, A City United, the public may call (518) 474-5877.

*Color slides are available by calling 518-486-2003.

The New York State Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.