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Designer Jay Godfrey's New Store Pays Homage to the High Line

The supports of railroad tracks once used for the elevated freight line on Manhattan's west side are embedded in the ceiling of Godfrey's eponymous store at 810 Washington St., which opened March 31, 2012.
The supports of railroad tracks once used for the elevated freight line on Manhattan's west side are embedded in the ceiling of Godfrey's eponymous store at 810 Washington St., which opened March 31, 2012.
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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

MEATPACKING DISTRICT — Clothing designer Jay Godfrey's first boutique, located steps from the southern end of the High Line, is not only inspired by the historic railway — it's made from some of its parts.  

Supports from the old railroad tracks that once made up the elevated freight line on Manhattan's west side are embedded in the ceiling of Godfrey's eponymous store at 810 Washington St., which opened Saturday. 

The High Line train began running from 34th Street to Spring Street in 1934, according to the website for the public park that's been built on the defunct railway. The southernmost section of the rail line — under which Godfrey's store is now located — was demolished in the 1960s. 

The store's changing rooms are located in the center of the shop, inside a sculptural structure lined with smoky gray mirrors.
The store's changing rooms are located in the center of the shop, inside a sculptural structure lined with smoky gray mirrors.
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DNAinfo/Andrea Swalec

Godfrey, a 32-year-old Toronto native whose "modern, clean and comfortable" women's wear is sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, said he wanted his 1,115-square-foot shop to reflect the grit and glamour of its surroundings. 

"We wanted a space that when a woman comes in she feels a contrast of the raw — like the Meatpacking District itself — and the supremely polished," he said. "Our store pays homage to the High Line." 

The Chelsea resident's bright clothing made from silky fabrics is displayed along walls made of exposed brick and rough cinder block.

The store's changing rooms are at the center of the shop, inside a sculpted structure lined with smoky gray mirrors. 

Godfrey, whose dresses start at $298 online, said he wanted his first shop to be located in a neighborhood he believes has a bright future. This location, near the new downtown site of the Whitney Museum of American Art that's under construction at Washington and Gansevoort streets, was ideal, he said.

"I knew I wanted an up-and-coming area, so by the new Whitney seemed perfect," he said. "This area is only going to get better and better."