,
East River, from Eighty Sixth Street",
Currier & Ives, 1862: the villa overlooking the river had belonged to
John Jacob Astor The street was designated by the
Commissioners' Plan of 1811 as one of 15 east-west streets that would be in width (while other streets were designated as in width). Until the years following
World War II,
Yorkville on the East Side was a predominantly
German community, and East 86th Street was nicknamed the
German Broadway. The early settlement originally clustered around the 86th Street stop of the
New York and Harlem Railroad. Since the late 1980s, nearly all distinctly German shops have disappeared, apart from a few restaurants on
Second Avenue. The street was commonly considered a boundary for public utilities. For example, different
telephone exchanges at East 79th and 97th Streets served the north and south sides of the street.
Local number portability in the early 21st century allowed transferring phone numbers to either side. A sunken street through
Central Park, the 86th Street transverse, connects West 86th Street with eastbound East 84th Street and westbound
East 85th Street. Miners Gate provides pedestrian access to the park at East 86th, and Mariners Gate at West 85th. ==Transportation==