When the majority of the line was built in the early 1910s, most of the route went through undeveloped land, and Roosevelt Avenue had not been constructed.

[3]: 47  Community leaders advocated for more Dual Contracts lines to be built in Queens to allow development there.

[18] Since a New York City Transit Authority rule prohibited subway stations from being named after nonexistent streets, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) removed the old names of each street from station signs and subway maps in 1998.

Local residents opposed the renaming and unsuccessfully attempted to persuade the MTA to restore the old names.

Since fare control is on different sides of the exit, there is no free transfer between directions, although the station's layout could allow one.