In the late 1840s, the Pennsylvania Railroad sought to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh by rail via the state capital, Harrisburg, a route that eventually became known as its Main Line.

East Liberty, along with surrounding areas, was annexed to Pittsburgh formally in 1868, and in the post-Civil War era of the late nineteenth century these neighborhoods began to develop substantially, with East Liberty becoming a commercial and retail hub serving the growing residential sections of Shadyside, Homewood, Wilkinsburg, and Highland Park.

Large numbers of passengers used the station as commuters from these areas into downtown Pittsburgh on a daily basis.

The new two-story brick station used a T-shaped plan, with a gabled roof and two large arched lunette windows on the front façade.

[1] Rail service continued to East Liberty through the drastic decline in ridership after World War II, and the station building was demolished in 1963.