[4]: 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.

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.

[14] Workers wanted to expedite the line's opening to serve baseball fans traveling to American League Park, the home of the Highlanders (now New York Yankees),[12] which occupied the western side of Broadway from 165th to 168th Street.

A train crashed into a temporary bulkhead at the south end of the station in March 1905;[12] this caused a fire that weakened the tunnel's roof, which then collapsed and killed a firefighter.

During baseball games at American League Park, many fans opted to instead take the subway to 157th Street, then pay an additional 25 cents for a taxi to the stadium.

[28] To address overcrowding, in 1909, the New York Public Service Commission proposed lengthening the platforms at stations along the original IRT subway.

[29]: 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.

[36] The city began receiving bids for the elevator shafts in April 1922,[37][38] and they also awarded a contract for a new station entrance to Holbrook, Cabot & Rollins Corporation for $283,000 the next month.

[41] In Fiscal Year 1923, work began on the installation of a new entrance with elevators on the west side of Broadway to increase the capacity of the station.

[32] A contract for the platform extensions at 168th Street and eight other stations on the line was awarded to Spencer, White & Prentis Inc. in October 1946,[48] with an estimated cost of $3.891 million.

[54][55] On December 9, 1924, the New York City Board of Transportation (BOT) gave preliminary approval to the construction of a subway line along Eighth Avenue, running from 207th Street.

[72][73] On December 28, 1950, the New York City Board of Transportation issued a report concerning the construction of bomb shelters in the subway system.

[81] By 1970, the 168th Street station on the Eighth Avenue Line was among the subway system's 12 worst bottlenecks for passenger flow.

The project included relocating pipes and ducts, retiling the lower portions of the walls, and removing dirt from the vaulted ceiling.

[98] The attendants at the five stations are primarily maintenance and cleaning workers who suffered injuries that made it hard for them to continue doing their original jobs.

[105][106] MTA employees had joined riders in worrying about an increase in crime as a result of the cuts after an elevator operator at 181st Street on the Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line helped save a stabbed passenger.

However, on December 7, 2007, the MTA announced that it would not remove the remaining elevator operators at these stations, due to pushback from elected officials and residents from the area.

[108] In October 2018, the MTA once again proposed removing the elevator operators at the five stations, but this was reversed after dissent from the Transport Workers' Union.

[117] By then, the elevators broke down hundreds of times per year,[118] inconveniencing passengers who needed to travel to Columbia University Medical Center.

Express trains began at South Ferry in Manhattan or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and ended at 242nd Street in the Bronx.

[138] The AA was discontinued in 1933 when the CC began running on the local tracks along the Eighth Avenue and Concourse lines.

[138][141] On March 1, 1998, the B and the C switched northern terminals, ending B service to Washington Heights; the C began serving the station at all times except late nights.

The full-time fare control area is at the center of the mezzanine, and has a turnstile bank, token booth, and one staircase and one elevator going up to the southeast corner of West 168th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue.

There are two exit stairs past this part-time fare control area, near the southwest corner of Broadway and 168th Street, which face north and south.

[32] Near the north end of the station, there are four elevators adjacent to the southbound platform, which lead to the fare control level.

[155] A rear passageway at the lower mezzanine level allows passengers to board and alight on different sides of the elevator cabs.

Atop the brick wainscoting are a belt course made of marble and a multicolored mosaic frieze measuring about 16 inches (410 mm) thick.

Tile name tablets are placed above the frieze at regular intervals, with white letters on a dark-green background surrounded by floral designs.

[22]: 5  The center of the vault ceiling has multicolored terracotta medallions at regular intervals; these formerly held lighting fixtures.

[22]: 4  The walls of the platform extensions have white ceramic tiles with mosaic friezes as well as plaques with the words "168th Street".