[7] The line was constructed using the cut-and-cover tunneling method, and to allow pedestrians to cross, temporary bridges were built over the trenches.

[13] Construction was further delayed due to a strike in 1935, instigated by electricians opposing wages paid by the General Railway Signal Company.

[13] On December 31, 1936, the IND Queens Boulevard Line was extended by eight stops, and 3.5 miles (5.6 km), from its previous terminus at Roosevelt Avenue to Union Turnpike.

[3]: 8  This station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 2005, as structure number 05000672.

[20][21] As part of its 2025–2029 Capital Program, the MTA has proposed making the station wheelchair-accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

They also have mosaic name tablets reading "ELMHURST AVE." in white sans-serif lettering on a black background and Cerulean blue border.

The outer walls of this trough are composed of columns, spaced approximately every 5 feet (1.5 m) with concrete infill between them.

[3]: 3 This station has a full-length mezzanine above the platforms and tracks supported by yellow I-beam columns located every 15 feet (4.6 m).

[3]: 5 [33] On the southeast (railroad north) side of the mezzanine, there are two staircases going up to either southern corner of 45th Avenue and Broadway.

Another goes up to the northwest corner of Elmhurst Avenue and Broadway, which is built within a store front and goes through a small underground shopping arcade.