Back in the day, the elevated freight track found on the fringe of Manhattan’s Lower West Side was used to transport goods—primarily meat and produce—between Spring and 34th streets. The railway had a good run that lasted a few decades—that is until the trucking industry rendered rails obsolete, and a group of property owners started rallying for the line’s demolition.

Nearly forty years later, that very same steel viaduct is not only still standing, but also quite a sight for sore eyes. Magically repurposed as a modern urban park inspired by the Promenade plantée in Paris, the now mile-and-a-half-long walkway—aptly named “The High Line”—has become one of New York City’s coolest and most treasured sites, frequented by millions of locals and visitors alike each year.

The High Line

Quick to realize the surrounding neighborhood’s ever-growing value, real estate developers have since raced to scoop up lots adjacent to the track (which now extends from Gansevoort Street to 34th Street), commissioning the architecture and design world’s crème de la crème to create contemporary buildings specifically designed to highlight the picturesque landmark.

“The neighborhood around The High Line has really blossomed into a vibrant and enticing place to live for all types of buyers,” says Corcoran Group brokerNoble Black. “You are literally surrounded by the gorgeous green backdrop of the Park, and have easy access to biking and jogging trails on the Hudson River Promenade, a multitude of spectacular art galleries to explore, and everything at your fingertips… it’s a community that offers something for everyone,” she notes, adding that with the coming of Hudson Yards, residents of the neighborhood will soon be just a pebble’s toss away from one of the most exciting and new commercial and cultural epicenters in the City.

The High Line

Read on for a roundup of five buddingluxury residential developments set to sprout up around The High Line in the coming years, from a light-filled structure that slithers beneath it, to a glass-and-steel edifice “making waves.”