The station is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Northeast, on an elevated platform crossing Rhode Island Avenue NE (U.S. Route 1) The station was built on land formerly part of the African-American Columbian Harmony Cemetery.

[3] When a parking lot at the site was renovated in 1979, more bones and bits of cloth and coffins were unearthed.

[2] Service began on March 27, 1976, as one of the first stations in the system, opening as the eastern terminus of the Red Line.

However; this particular name change of the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station, was only initially reflected on WMATA's Metrorail Rider Guides, System Maps, and on most of WMATA's newer/updated Metrobus Schedules for each of the Metrobus Routes that served the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station.

[7] The station's main entrance is located just south of Rhode Island Avenue on Washington Street N.E.