86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)

 86 Street
 "1" train
New York City Subway station (rapid transit)
R62A 1 train arriving at the southbound platform
Station statistics
AddressWest 86th Street & Broadway
New York, New York
BoroughManhattan
LocaleUpper West Side
Coordinates40°47′18″N 73°58′35″W / 40.7883°N 73.9764°W / 40.7883; -73.9764
DivisionA (IRT)[1]
Line   IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Services   1 all times (all times)
​   2 late nights (late nights)
TransitBus transport NYCT Bus: M86 SBS, M104[2]
StructureUnderground
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
Other information
OpenedOctober 27, 1904; 120 years ago (1904-10-27)[3]
Opposite-
direction
transfer		No
Traffic
20233,983,729[4] Increase 8.5%
Rank70 out of 423[4]
Services
Preceding station New York City Subway New York City Subway Following station
96th Street
1 all times ​2 late nights
toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street
Local 		79th Street
1 all times ​2 late nights
toward South Ferry
"3" train does not stop here
Location
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) is located in New York City Subway
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) is located in New York City
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) is located in New York
86th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)
Track layout

Legend
to 96th Street
to 79th Street
Street map

Map

Station service legend
Symbol Description
Stops all times Stops all times
Stops late nights only Stops late nights only

The 86th Street station is a local station on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of West 86th Street and Broadway in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times and the 2 train during late nights.

The 86th Street station was constructed for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) as part of the city's first subway line, which was approved in 1900. Construction of the line segment that includes the 86th Street station began on August 22 of the same year. The station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway. The station's platforms have been lengthened since opening.

The 86th Street station contains two side platforms and four tracks; express trains use the inner two tracks to bypass the station. The station was built with tile and mosaic decorations, although the platform extensions contain a cinder block design. The platforms contain exits to 86th Street and Broadway and are not connected to each other within fare control.

History

[edit]

Construction and opening

[edit]
A view of the station in 1904 prior to opening

Planning for a subway line in New York City dates to 1864.[5]: 21  However, development of what would become the city's first subway line did not start until 1894, when the New York State Legislature passed the Rapid Transit Act.[5]: 139–140  The subway plans were drawn up by a team of engineers led by William Barclay Parsons, the Rapid Transit Commission's chief engineer. It called for a subway line from New York City Hall in lower Manhattan to the Upper West Side, where two branches would lead north into the Bronx.[6]: 3  A plan was formally adopted in 1897,[5]: 148  and all legal conflicts concerning the route alignment were resolved near the end of 1899.[5]: 161 

The Rapid Transit Construction Company, organized by John B. McDonald and funded by August Belmont Jr., signed the initial Contract 1 with the Rapid Transit Commission in February 1900,[7] under which it would construct the subway and maintain a 50-year operating lease from the opening of the line.[5]: 165  In 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was hired to design the underground stations.[6]: 4  Belmont incorporated the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) in April 1902 to operate the subway.[5]: 182 

The 86th Street station was constructed as part of the IRT's West Side Line (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line) from 82nd Street to 104th Street, for which work had begun on August 22, 1900. Work for that section had been awarded to William Bradley.[7] By late 1903, the subway was nearly complete, but the IRT Powerhouse and the system's electrical substations were still under construction, delaying the system's opening.[5]: 186 [8] The 86th Street station opened on October 27, 1904, as one of the original 28 stations of the New York City Subway from City Hall to 145th Street on the West Side Branch.[3][5]: 186 

Service changes and station renovations

[edit]

1910s to 1930s

[edit]
View of the transition between the original platform section and the later platform extension

After the first subway line was completed in 1908,[9] the station was served by local trains along both the West Side (now the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line to Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street) and East Side (now the Lenox Avenue Line). West Side local trains had their southern terminus at City Hall during rush hours and South Ferry at other times, and had their northern terminus at 242nd Street. East Side local trains ran from City Hall to Lenox Avenue (145th Street).[10]

To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.[11]: 168  As part of a modification to the IRT's construction contracts made on January 18, 1910, the company was to lengthen station platforms to accommodate ten-car express and six-car local trains. In addition to $1.5 million (equivalent to $49.1 million in 2023) spent on platform lengthening, $500,000 (equivalent to $16.4 million in 2023) was spent on building additional entrances and exits. It was anticipated that these improvements would increase capacity by 25 percent.[12]: 15  Platforms at local stations, such as the 86th Street station, were lengthened by between 20 and 30 feet (6.1 and 9.1 m). Both platforms were extended to the north and south.[12]: 111  Six-car local trains began operating in October 1910.[11]: 168  The Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line opened south of Times Square–42nd Street in 1918, and the original line was divided into an H-shaped system. The original subway north of Times Square thus became part of the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, and all local trains were sent to South Ferry.[13]

In December 1922, the Transit Commission approved a $3 million project to lengthen platforms at 14 local stations along the original IRT line, including 86th Street and five other stations on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. Platform lengths at these stations would be increased from 225 to 436 feet (69 to 133 m).[14][15] The commission postponed the platform-lengthening project in September 1923, at which point the cost had risen to $5.6 million.[16][17] In 1927, an additional staircase was constructed from the uptown platform to the northeastern corner of 86th Street and Broadway by Patteli & Wilson for $25,300.[18][19] In 1932, the entrance at the southeastern corner of 86th Street and Broadway was relocated from the easterly curb of Broadway to the southern building line of 86th Street. The new entrance did not have a kiosk.[20]

1940s to 1960s

[edit]

The city government took over the IRT's operations on June 12, 1940.[21][22] The IRT routes were given numbered designations in 1948 with the introduction of "R-type" rolling stock, which contained rollsigns with numbered designations for each service.[23] The Broadway route to 242nd Street became known as the 1 and the Lenox Avenue route as the 3.[24]

The original IRT stations north of Times Square could barely fit local trains of five or six cars depending on the configuration of the trains. Stations on the line from 50th Street to 96th Street, including this station but excluding the 91st Street station, had their platforms extended in the 1950s to accommodate ten-car trains as part of a $100 million rebuilding program.[25] The contract to extend the platforms at 79th Street and 86th Street was awarded to Delma Engineering Corporation for $1,867,705 in 1957 (equivalent to $20,262,000 in 2023).[26] The platform extensions at the local stations were completed by early 1958.[25] As part of the contract to extend the platform at this station, additional entrances were constructed.[27]

Once the project was completed, all 1 trains became local and all 2 and 3 trains became express, and eight-car local trains began operation. Increased and lengthened service was implemented during peak hours on the 1 train on February 6, 1959.[28] Due to the lengthening of the platforms at 86th Street and 96th Street, the intermediate 91st Street station was closed on February 2, 1959, because it was too close to the other two stations.[29][25]

1970s to present

[edit]
87th Street downtown entrance

In 1985, art and mosaics were installed in the station for $200,000 (equivalent to $567,000 in 2023). The cost was covered by Haines, and was done as part of the construction of The Bromely at 85th Street and Broadway. The following year, the entrance to the southwestern corner of 87th Street and Broadway was relocated into a building, The Boulevard at 246 West 87th Street. The $1,270,000 cost of the project (equivalent to $3,598,000 in 2023) was borne by the developer, Ian Bruce Eichner. The entrance was constructed to supplant public infrastructure improvements required by the New York City Housing Quality Program for the construction of The Boulevard, which in turn allowed the developer to increase the height of the development.[30][31]

In April 1988,[32] the New York City Transit Authority unveiled plans to speed up service on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line through the implementation of a skip-stop service: the 9 train.[33] When skip-stop service started in 1989, it was only implemented north of 137th Street–City College on weekdays, and 86th Street was served by both the 1 and the 9.[34][35][36] Skip-stop service ended on May 27, 2005, as a result of a decrease in the number of riders who benefited.[37][38]

Station layout

[edit]
Original wall decorations
Ground Street level Exit/entrance
Platform level Side platform
Northbound local ← "1" train toward Van Cortlandt Park–242nd Street (96th Street (no service to 91st Street))
← "2" train toward Wakefield–241st Street late nights (96th Street (no service to 91st Street))
Northbound express ← "2" train"3" train do not stop here
Southbound express → "2" train"3" train do not stop here →
Southbound local → "1" train toward South Ferry (79th Street) →
→ "2" train toward Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College late nights (79th Street) →
Side platform

Like other local stations, 86th Street has four tracks and two side platforms.[39] The station is served by the 1 at all times[40] and by the 2 during late nights;[41] the center express tracks are used by the 2 train during daytime hours and the 3 train at all times.[41][42] The station is between 96th Street to the north and 79th Street to the south.[43] The platforms were originally 200 feet (61 m) long, like at other local stations on the original IRT,[6]: 4 [44]: 8  but as a result of the 1958–1959 platform extension, became 520 feet (160 m) long.[25]

Design

[edit]

As with other stations built as part of the original IRT, the station was constructed using a cut-and-cover method.[45]: 237  The tunnel is covered by a U-shaped trough that contains utility pipes and wires. The bottom of this trough contains a foundation of concrete no less than 4 inches (100 mm) thick.[44]: 9  Each platform consists of 3-inch-thick (7.6 cm) concrete slabs, beneath which are drainage basins. The original platforms contain circular, cast-iron Doric-style columns spaced every 15 feet (4.6 m), while the platform extensions contain I-beam columns. Additional columns between the tracks, spaced every 5 feet (1.5 m), support the jack-arched concrete station roofs.[6]: 4 [44]: 9  There is a 1-inch (25 mm) gap between the trough wall and the platform walls, which are made of 4-inch (100 mm)-thick brick covered over by a tiled finish.[44]: 9 

This station retains original mosaic and terracotta wall reliefs, consisting of purple characters surrounded by yellow and blue tiles. The tiled pilasters on the side walls are interrupted by tiled rectangles, as well as motifs of little squares and semicircles.[46] The decorations also include cornucopia designs with the number "86". There are also a few "Men" and "Women" relief signs for now-defunct restrooms.[44]: 37  The mosaic tiles at all original IRT stations were manufactured by the American Encaustic Tile Company, which subcontracted the installations at each station.[44]: 31  The decorative work was performed by tile contractor Alfred Boote Company and faience contractor Rookwood Pottery Company.[44]: 37  The ceilings of the original platforms and fare control areas contain plaster molding.[44]: 10  At the northern part of the station, where the platforms have been extended, the walls have cream-colored tiles with a pink trim line and black "86th ST" written on them at regular intervals.[47]

The 86th Street station has artwork installed in 1989 entitled Westside Views by Nitza Tufiño. The artists are students of Manhattan Community Board 7 and the Grosvernor House. Scenes include the 72nd Street station, medians on Broadway, New York City Fire Department, children at play, Ida Straus memorial in Straus Park, boats at the 79th Street Boat Basin, Buddhist vendors on Church Street, and a New York City Bus. The station also has a poem entitled West Side Views by student Pedro Pieti.[48] Westside Views is one of two works Tufiño made for MTA Arts & Design; the other, Neo-Boriken – a solo effort – can be found at 103rd Street on the IRT Lexington Avenue Line.[49]

Exits

[edit]
Southwest entrance, closed in preparation for Hurricane Sandy in 2012

All fare control areas are on platform level and there are no crossovers or crossunders. The centers of the northbound and southbound platforms each have a fare control area with a turnstile bank and token booth, although the northbound token booth is closed to the public.[50] The northbound platform's fare control area contains stairs to the northeast and southeast corners of West 86th Street and Broadway, while the southbound platform's fare control area here contains stairs to the northwest and southwest corners of the same intersection.[51]

The southbound platform has another fare control near the north end. A bank of three turnstiles lead to a token booth that is only staffed during rush hours. A staircase goes up to an alcove inside 246 West 87th Street, on the southwest corner of West 87th Street and Broadway.[51]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Glossary". Second Avenue Subway Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) (PDF). Vol. 1. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 4, 2003. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Our Subway Open: 150,000 Try It; Mayor McClellan Runs the First Official Train". The New York Times. October 28, 1904. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Annual Subway Ridership (2018–2023)". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit — 1864 to 1917. New York, N.Y.: Law Printing. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Interborough Rapid Transit System, Underground Interior" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. October 23, 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Report of the Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners for the City of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1904 Accompanied By Reports of the Chief Engineer and of the Auditor. Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners. 1905. pp. 229–236.
  8. ^ "First of Subway Tests; West Side Experimental Trains to be Run by Jan. 1 Broadway Tunnel Tracks Laid, Except on Three Little Sections, to 104th Street -- Power House Delays". The New York Times. November 14, 1903. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  9. ^ "Our First Subway Completed At Last — Opening of the Van Cortlandt Extension Finishes System Begun in 1900 — The Job Cost $60,000,000 — A Twenty-Mile Ride from Brooklyn to 242d Street for a Nickel Is Possible Now". The New York Times. August 2, 1908. p. 10. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  10. ^ Herries, William (1916). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 119. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Hood, Clifton (1978). "The Impact of the IRT in New York City" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 146–207 (PDF pp. 147–208). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  12. ^ a b Report of the Public Service Commission for the First District of the State of New York For The Year Ending December 31, 1910. Public Service Commission. 1911. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Open New Subway Lines to Traffic; Called a Triumph" (PDF). The New York Times. August 2, 1918. p. 1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  14. ^ "33d Street to Be I.R.T. Express Stop; Reconstruction One of Many Station Improvements Ordered by Commission". The New York Times. December 17, 1922. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "$4,000,000 in Construction on I. R. T. Ordered: 33d St. on East Side Subway Will Be Express Stop; Local Stations to Have 10-Car Train Capacity Aim to Speed Service Improvements Will Relieve Congestion Along Both Routes. Board Believes". New-York Tribune. December 18, 1922. p. 22. ProQuest 573974563.
  16. ^ "Express Stop Plan Opposed by I.R.T.; Officials Say Money Is Not Available for Change at 33d Street Station". The New York Times. September 7, 1923. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  17. ^ "I. R. T. Wins Delay At Subway Platform Extension Hearing: Transit Commission Head Tells Meeting Widening West Side Stations Would Increase Capacity 25 P. C". New-York Tribune. September 7, 1923. p. 6. ProQuest 1237290874.
  18. ^ Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of the City of New York. New York City Board of Transportation. 1930. p. 845. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. ^ Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of the City of New York. New York City Board of Transportation. 1927. pp. 881, 1087. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  20. ^ Proceedings of the New York City Board of Transportation. New York City Board of Transportation. 1932. pp. 2022–2023. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  21. ^ "City Transit Unity Is Now a Reality; Title to I.R.T. Lines Passes to Municipality, Ending 19-Year Campaign". The New York Times. June 13, 1940. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  22. ^ "Transit Unification Completed As City Takes Over I. R. T. Lines: Systems Come Under Single Control After Efforts Begun in 1921; Mayor Is Jubilant at City Hall Ceremony Recalling 1904 Celebration". New York Herald Tribune. June 13, 1940. p. 25. ProQuest 1248134780.
  23. ^ Brown, Nicole (May 17, 2019). "How did the MTA subway lines get their letter or number? NYCurious". amNewYork. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  24. ^ Friedlander, Alex; Lonto, Arthur; Raudenbush, Henry (April 1960). "A Summary of Services on the IRT Division, NYCTA" (PDF). New York Division Bulletin. 3 (1). Electric Railroaders' Association: 2–3. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  25. ^ a b c d "High-Speed Broadway Local Service Began in 1959". The Bulletin. 52 (2). New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association. February 2009. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016 – via Issuu.
  26. ^ Association, General Contractors (1957). Bulletin. pp. 7, 18. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  27. ^ Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority Relating to Matters Other Than Operation. New York City Transit Authority. 1964. pp. 365, 602, 851. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  28. ^ "Wagner Praises Modernized IRT — Mayor and Transit Authority Are Hailed as West Side Changes Take Effect". The New York Times. February 7, 1959. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  29. ^ Aciman, Andre (January 8, 1999). "My Manhattan — Next Stop: Subway's Past". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  30. ^ Cervero, Robert; Hall, Peter; Landis, John (1990). Transit Joint Development in the United States. University of California at Berkeley Institute of Urban and Regional Development. pp. V-43. Archived from the original on August 25, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  31. ^ The Portable Lower East Side. Portable Lower East Side. 1990. p. 22. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  32. ^ Brozan, Nadine (June 4, 1989). "'Skip-Stop' Subway Plan Annoys No. 1 Riders". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  33. ^ Moore, Keith (June 10, 1988). "TA's skip-stop plan hit". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  34. ^ "#1 Riders: Your Service is Changing". New York Daily News. August 20, 1989. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  35. ^ "Announcing 1 and 9 Skip-Stop Service on the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line" (PDF). New York City Transit Authority. August 1989. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  36. ^ Lorch, Donatella (August 22, 1989). "New Service For Subways On West Side". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  37. ^ Chan, Sewell (May 25, 2005). "On Its Last Wheels, No. 9 Line Is Vanishing on Signs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  38. ^ "Noteworthy – 9 discontinued". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 7, 2005. Archived from the original on May 7, 2005. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  39. ^ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC 49777633 – via Google Books.
  40. ^ "1 Subway Timetable, Effective December 15, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "2 Subway Timetable, Effective June 26, 2022". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  42. ^ "3 Subway Timetable, Effective June 30, 2024". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  43. ^ "Subway Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h Framberger, David J. (1978). "Architectural Designs for New York's First Subway" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 1–46 (PDF pp. 367–412). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  45. ^ Scott, Charles (1978). "Design and Construction of the IRT: Civil Engineering" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. pp. 208–282 (PDF pp. 209–283). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  46. ^ "By Colors: Subway Stations Will Be Recognized Need Not Look for Names New York's Transit Way Nearing Completion Still Much Is to Be Done". Courier-Journal. November 5, 1903. p. 10. ProQuest 1015861807.
  47. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (June 11, 2011). "Looking down the downtown platform at 86 Street". Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  48. ^ "86th Street – Nitza Tufiño – Westside Views, 1989". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  49. ^ "103rd Street – Nitza Tufiño – Neo-Boriken, 1990". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  50. ^ Cox, Jeremiah (June 11, 2011). "The closed Customer Assistant Booth, on the uptown platform at 86 Street, yet to be removed, notice the decorative molding". Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  51. ^ a b "86th Street Neighborhood Map". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2018. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
[edit]
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