Following the completion of the original subway, there were plans to construct a line along Manhattan's east side north of 42nd Street.

In July 1911, the IRT had withdrawn from the talks, and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) was to operate on Lexington Avenue.

[10][11] On September 19, 1917, the New York State Public Service Commission denied a request to change the planned name of the station to "77th Street—St.

Along with turnstiles that accepted nickels, which were installed the previous year, this was expect to eliminate the need to have money changers in station booths.

As part of the project, structural deficiencies were repaired, signage and lighting were enhanced, electrical service was upgraded, station facilities were rehabilitated, new fare arrays and a new token booth were installed, and portions of the station were upgraded to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

[25] In January 2023, Northwell Health, as part of its plan to expand Lenox Hill Hospital, submitted an application for a transit improvement density bonus.

[26] The agency proposed to make the downtown side of the station fully ADA-accessible by replacing two street stairs with one 15-foot (3 m) wide stair, enlarging public sidewalk space, improving station security and lighting systems, and installing two elevators: one from the street to the mezzanine, and another from the mezzanine to the platform.

The express tracks of the Lexington Avenue Line, used by the 4 and 5 trains during daytime hours, pass beneath the station and are not visible from the platforms.

[35][36] The remainders of both platforms have cream-colored tiles and a salmon trim line with "77TH ST" written on it in black Sans Serif font at regular intervals.

The uptown platform token booth was closed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after making a series of layoffs and has been removed.