The mysterious blocked-off entryways built into a Central Park transverse road

There’s so much exquisite natural and structural beauty grabbing your attention in Central Park that you probably don’t give the transverse roads much thought.

You know the transverse roads. Part of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s 1858 Greensward plan for the park, these four serpentine roads at 65th, 79th, 85th, and 97th Streets are sunk below the park’s grade and surrounded by stone embankments.

The transverse roads allow for east-west traffic through the park with as little disruption as possible. It’s a brilliant design element that helps park-goers feel removed from the usual urban distractions without stopping the flow of transit.

But the 85th Street transverse road presents a mystery: what was the purpose of these entryways on opposite sides of the road, and where did they lead?

With their Romanesque design, they seem to be original features built into the stone embankments, or perhaps late 19th century additions. The one in the first image is bricked in; the second is blocked by a locked gate.

Maybe they served as passageways for the men who built Central Park, so they could continue their work or maintain crucial park functions as the park opened in stages through the 1860s? Or perhaps they were storage areas that became obsolete in the 20th century and subsequently blocked off, no longer needed.

Whatever their original function, I get the feeling they add something interesting to Central Park’s backstory and how this jewel of a city park came to be—or how it continues to be such a wonderful respite for today’s New Yorkers.