The station is named for the Hynes Convention Center, which is located about 700 feet (210 m) to the east along Boylston Street.

The main entrance to the station from Massachusetts Avenue leads to a fare lobby under the 360 Newbury Street building.

Construction of the station (originally named Massachusetts) began in December 1912; it opened in October 1914 along with the Boylston Street subway for use by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy).

Construction on a surface-level transfer station for streetcars on Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue began in April 1918 and was completed the following November.

The transfer station was closed in January 1963 due to construction of the adjacent Massachusetts Turnpike Extension; it was partially demolished.

[3] The primary entrance to the station is from Massachusetts Avenue; a side exit leads from the lobby to Newbury Street.

[5] A normally closed secondary entrance from Boylston Street leads to a smaller fare lobby over the east end of the platforms.

[12] In July 1911, the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill providing for the construction of several tunnels, including the Boylston Street subway.

New stations were to be located at Copley Square – a major civic center – and the Massachusetts Avenue thoroughfare.

[13][14] On September 24, 1912, the BTC acquired an easement through the Boston Cab Company building for the construction of Massachusetts station.

[16] Wooden and concrete piles were driven through seven feet (2.1 m) of silt to provide a firm foundation for the station, and for future air rights development atop it.

Some of the dirt removed during construction was used to fill the Charles River Esplanade near Cottage Farm, while the rest was dumped at sea.

[13] A waiting room for passengers transferring to surface streetcars was located on Massachusetts Avenue next to the main station entrance.

[14][13] In 1917, the Massachusetts General Court passed legislation allowing the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) to construct prepayment streetcar transfer areas (where passengers paid upon entering the transfer area, rather than on board the streetcar) at existing subway and elevated stations.

Staircases connected it to both subway platforms and the fare mezzanine, with faregates providing access from Newbury and Boylston streets.

[35]: 51, 52 In the early 1960s, the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension was built along the Boston and Albany Railroad corridor, necessitating a major widening of that right-of-way.

The remaining section fronting on Newbury Street is used as an MBTA traction power substation, with two large rectifier transformers in the rear.

On November 16, 1964, the newly formed MBTA opened a pedestrian tunnel from the bus shelter to the subway station's fare lobby, allowing riders to cross under busy street traffic.

[35]: 324  In late 2006, the station was renamed a third time to Hynes Convention Center as the ICA relocated from to a new building on the South Boston Waterfront.

[1] A design contract for accessibility renovations at Hynes Convention Center, Symphony, and Wollaston was awarded on May 5, 2010.

[56] On September 3, 2014, MassDOT opened bidding on air rights development over the Massachusetts Turnpike on Parcel 13 next to the station.

As part of the project, the developer was to be required to renovate Hynes Convention Center station with elevators for accessibility, as well as reopening both the tunnel under Massachusetts Avenue and the disused Boylston Street headhouse.

[66] A separate air rights development on the west side of Massachusetts Avenue (Parcel 12) will include a new entrance to the station.