A Slow Burn Through All the Highs and Lows

Dan Barasch and Robert Hammond, a founder and the executive director of the High Line, met when Mr. Barasch asked Mr. Hammond’s advice on how to launch the Lowline, Manhattan’s first underground park.

The first time Robert Hammond broke up with Dan Barasch, it was because he heard an unsettling sound at the end of their second date. “Someone told me once that, if you hit it off with someone and you start hearing bells, those are not wedding bells but alarm bells and you should proceed with caution,” Mr. Hammond said. In March 2009, the metaphoric ringing in his ears caused by Mr. Barasch was unmistakable. Mr. Hammond, 51, is a founder of New York City’s High Line, the abandoned rail line in Chelsea that was transformed in 2009 into a linear park that now attracts millions of visitors. His introduction to Mr. Barasch, 44, came as a favor to their mutual friend Jane Bliss Birk. Mr. Barasch, who hoped to begin a program that would allow artists to display their works in subway stations, was gathering advice on how to get started on a New York City public project. Ms. Bliss Birk set up a meeting in early March. Mr. Barasch left it deflated.