Situated at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street, New Bridge Road and Upper Cross Street, the station is near several landmarks, including the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Masjid Jamae (Chulia), Chinatown Point and People's Park Complex.

It involved multiple diversions of the main roads and the Eu Tong Sen Canal, in addition to the preservation of the Garden Bridge.

The NEL concourse and platforms feature calligraphy as part of The Phoenix's-Eye Domain by Tan Swie Hian, while the DTL concourse walls feature artworks of clothes lines as part of Flying Colours by Cheo Chai Hiang.

[10] In addition, businesses in the area were affected by the noise and construction dust, leading to tarnished goods and a decrease in patronage.

[11][12] The contractors made efforts to minimise these effects, such as using quieter machinery and cleaning the vehicles exiting the worksite.

During the Lunar New Year in 2001, a temporary bridge was constructed to connect the two sides of Pagoda Street so pedestrians could walk over the entrance work site.

[10][14] A temporary taxi stand was installed at Upper Cross Street to serve the retail development of Chinatown Point.

The utilities had to be protected or substituted during the manoeuvre, and took some time due to the poor documentation of the location of the old pipes and cables.

The more time-consuming and expensive alternative to divert the canal into the 2.1 m (6.9 ft) diameter pipes would minimise such risks and allow sufficient space for the construction machinery.

[16] Due to the soft marine clay above the stable sedimentary soil, there were a few cave-ins at the site during construction.

On 3 July 1999, an unused section of the old canal caved in, forming a hole three metres (9.8 ft) deep.

It was discovered that some soil had seeped through a gap in the perimeter wall of the station, resulting in the collapse of the structure.

[10][12][22] With the NEL commencing services on 20 June 2003,[23][24] it was expected that the station would bring further development to the area with more investments and crowds.

[30][31] The DTE, initially planned to be a branch of the CCL,[32] was revised to be the first stage of the Downtown line (DTL) in 2007.

The area in front of Hong Lim Complex and Chinatown Point had been closed off to build the support wall for the station and tunnels.

[38] Subsequently, a section of Upper Cross Street between Yue Hwa Building and Block 34 was realigned from 18 January 2010 until the station's completion in 2013.

[45][46] Extending the DTL tunnels from Chinatown to Fort Canning station was a challenge, due to the narrow space between two Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks and the State Court along the route.

[51] To ensure the construction would not pollute the river (which is connected to the Marina Reservoir), the LTA had to maintain adequate hydraulic flows.

[51] On 9 December 2022, as part of a joint emergency preparedness exercise by the LTA and train operator SBS Transit, security screenings were held at the station.

Equipment essential for the operations in the CD shelter is mounted on shock absorbers to prevent damage during a bombing.

[67] Exit A to Pagoda Street features a pavilion-style transparent roof-structure which provides an unobstructed view of the shophouses and allows natural light into the station.

[70] The other station entrances employ glass structures that allow views of the surrounding developments and natural lighting.

[72] Tan Swie Hian's The Phoenix's-Eye Domain is a wall mural representing the journey of Singapore's Chinese immigrants, supplemented by a poem written in three sets of rhyming couplets.

These two rocks, which once existed at the waters' edge, were used as indicators by early Chinese navigators, who referred to Singapore as the "Dragon's Teeth Gate".

Written on the phoenix's body are five characters, each with different meanings: Virtue, Righteousness, Civility, Benevolence and Credibility, regarded to be the five core values of man.

Through experimentation, the specialist company in Birmingham adopted a seven-colour process to closely match the original's colours on the final artwork in vitreous enamel.

The calligraphy was first written in ink on rice paper before being scanned onto a computer and reproduced on the 1.2 m2 (13 sq ft) granite tiles.

The artist sought to transform the "mundane" aspect of the scenery into something "festive and celebratory",[71] while creating an illusion of clothes "flying in the wind".

On the other hand, Yek Wong, the artist who created the artwork at one-north station, felt that the work did not quite deliver the concept and suggested it could be more "visually engaging".