86th Street Subway Station (Dual System IRT)
Why it's listed
Beneath Lexington Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the 86th Street station is a two-level, four-track subway stop built between 1911 and 1918 as part of the Dual Contracts expansion of the city's subway system. Local trains use the upper level and express trains the lower, a arrangement chosen because Lexington Avenue is narrow. Its steel columns, concrete walls and brick-lined sides follow the typical construction of the period, and the platforms were lengthened from 480 to 525 feet in 1949. Architect Squire J. Vickers designed the colorful mosaic friezes, name tablets and directional signs in a simple Arts and Crafts style, and these remain the station's main architectural feature. Engineer Alfred Craven oversaw the wider expansion. The control areas and street entrances have been rebuilt, yet the station keeps a high degree of integrity. It encouraged apartment construction in Yorkville and now ranks as the most heavily used station on the Lexington Avenue Line after Grand Central Terminal.
Significance in brief: The station is significant under Criterion A for transportation, community planning and development, and social history, and under Criterion C for engineering, architecture and art. It is a well-preserved example of Dual Contracts station design with Arts and Crafts mosaic work by architect Squire J. Vickers. It is also the busiest station on the Upper East Side, with over 12 million annual fares.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 05000236, listed March 30, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Under Lexington Ave., bet E. 85th and E. 87th Sts., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | March 30, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05000236 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1911-1918 |
| Architect / builder | Vickers, Squire J. (architect); Craven, Alfred (engineer) |
| Architectural style | Other/Arts and Crafts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Economics, Architecture, Art, Engineering, Community Planning and Development, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a subway station; platforms were extended in 1949, the control areas and street entrances have been altered, and the station appears substantially as built in 1918. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.77958, -73.95567 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 05000236.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q2612205
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.