Constructed by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, it was one of the first stations opened on the branch in April 1896.

[3] Douglas service was significantly streamlined on December 9, 1951, part of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)'s broader overhaul of the Metropolitan's lines.

[1] Partial service proved to be short-lived for Roosevelt, however; the CTA closed it and Douglas Park altogether on May 3, 1952.

It had two wooden side platforms with cast-iron canopies with hipped roofs of corrugated, in common with the other stations on the Metropolitan's lines.

Its relative ranking of Douglas ridership increased, however; in 1950, it was second only to Kenton – a station that had no street access and abutted a railway rather than an actual street,[8] serving 19,826 passengers – in its disuse, whereas in 1951 it surpassed Kenton, the opened-in-December Central Park, and 14th Place on the branch.