The island platformed station was opened on July 1, 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

It is named after the nearby Eastern Market, a historic public marketplace.

[2] However, after lobbying from the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the name was changed to Eastern Market.

[3] Its opening coincided with the completion of 11.8 miles (19.0 km)[4] of rail between National Airport and RFK Stadium and the opening of an entire section of line, which included 16 stations in total, between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Stadium–Armory stations.

[6] Silver Line service at Eastern Market began on July 26, 2014.