A set of three escalators descends to the station concourse, which houses fare control and ticket machines.

[2] An elevator from street level to the concourse is available on the northeastern corner of the intersection of Connecticut Avenue NW and Ordway Street NW and an elevator is available between the concourse and platform after passing through the fare gates.

[4] While Cleveland Park was part of the initial system plan in 1959, the station opened on December 5, 1981, five years after the first segment began operations.

[4][5][6] On June 21, 2016, a heavy rainstorm with as much as 4 inches (100 mm) of rain per hour at times produced flash flooding with a southerly flow along Connecticut Avenue.

The north-facing Porter Street entrance was flooded, with water cascading down both the stairs and escalator for over 11 minutes.