Initially designed for streetcars only, the station was retrofitted in 1901 to also handle Main Line Elevated trains, which ran through the subway until the completion of the Washington Street tunnel in 1908.

[4] In 1931, the headhouse was removed to improve visibility for automobile drivers and was replaced by a significantly smaller structure of modern design.

[6][7] (Large headhouses at Scollay Square and Harvard were also torn down for similar reasons in that era.

)[8]: 32 [9] Adams Square was closed on October 28, 1963, as part of the Government Center renewal project, and was subsequently largely demolished and covered during the construction of Boston City Hall.

[1][6] Media related to Adams Square station at Wikimedia Commons