In 1999, Robert Hammond and Joshua David led efforts to turn an abandoned elevated railway line on Manhattan’s West Side —
formerly a spur of the New York Central Railroad — into one of the world’s most celebrated parks: the High Line.
They envisioned a park, which runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meat Market district north to West 34th Street west of 11th
Avenue, that would preserve the structure’s wild, natural beauty and incorporate parts of the historic elevated railroad.
After seven years of planning, gathering community input, engaging donors and volunteers, and persuading city offi cials,
construction fi nally began. The High Line opened in June 2009 to immediate acclaim. Thanks to the hard work done by so many
people, this public space became a continuous 1.45-mile-long greenway featuring more than 500 species of plants and trees where
visitors can view art, walk through gardens, or experience a performance, all while enjoying a unique perspective on the city.
The High Line, the fi nal phase of which opened in 2019, now serves as a model domestically and internationally for other reuse
projects and for community activism. Most recently, the organization established the High Line Network, a group of infrastructure
reuse projects — and the people who are helping them come to life.
Robert continues his involvement today as the executive director of the High Line, overseeing daily operations, art, cultural, and
family programming, events, fi nances, and fundraising, of which nearly 100 percent is raised privately. He is a tireless advocate
who shares his creative energy to help infl uence, inform, and encourage others to step up to challenging new projects within their
communities.
Before his work with the High Line, Robert supported the launch of online businesses in the public health and travel commerce
industries, and worked as a consultant for an array of organizations, including the Times Square Alliance and Alliance for the Arts.
Robert has been awarded the Vincent Scully Prize (2013), the Rome Prize by the American Academy in Rome (2010), the
Rockefeller Foundation’s Jane Jacobs Medal, along with David (2010), and an honorary doctorate from The New School (2012).
Robert is also a self-taught artist and served as an ex-offi cio member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees.
Additionally, Robert is a co-producer of the fi lm “Citizen Jane: Battle for the City,” the story of the iconic urban preservationist who
wrote the seminal book “The Death and Life of Great Americans Cities.” The fi lm premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film
Festival and was the opening-night selection for DOC NYC. Released via IFC in April 2017, the fi lm chronicles the clash between
mid-20th-century urban planning methods and how they relate to today’s urban renaissance.
Robert has been a meditation teacher since 2014.
He is a graduate of Princeton University.
26 Gay City News Impact Awards 2020
HONOREE
ROBERT HAMMOND
CO-FOUNDER OF FRIENDS OF THE HIGH LINE; EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE
HIGH LINE