State is unique among Orange Line stations as it was built on two levels to fit under the narrow section of Washington Street while crossing the East Boston Tunnel.

The southbound platform is connected to the rest of the station by a lengthy pedestrian passageway, originally known as "the speedway".

The East Boston Tunnel station was originally known as Devonshire after the street which the Old State House is located on.

The East Boston Tunnel was originally planned to be operated with high-floor metro rolling stock and connected to the then-planned Cambridge Elevated line.

[17]: 19  Large bi-loading streetcars (with high floors but capable of loading from low platforms), which incorporated many attributes from metro cars used on the Main Line El, began use in 1905.

[17]: 118–119 [18]: 14  However, neither these nor the large center-entrance cars introduced in 1917 (which were designed for multiple unit operation) could fully handle the crowds.

[19] The next year, the BTD board approved the construction of high-level platforms at Atlantic Avenue, Devonshire, Scollay Under, and Bowdoin.

The Washington Street Tunnel opened on November 30, 1908, to Main Line elevated trains running between Forest Hills and Sullivan Square.

After taking over operations in 1964, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began rebranding efforts.

[16] In 1971, the MBTA and Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston held a competition called "Design in Transit", with the winning work to be placed in the passageway to the southbound Orange Line platform.

It attracted over 300 entries, many of which were criticized for being inappropriate for the setting: "spooky shadow play" that would scare riders already in a nervous atmosphere, and audio works that would add to the cacophony of the busy station.

[26] The winning work by Robert V. Kennedy had swatches of bright rainbow colors with timed lighting; it was installed in 1972.

[9] That year, the agency received a federal grant that funded two-thirds of a $14.3 million modernization program for downtown stations.

[27] As part of that project, the MBTA investigated the feasibility of connecting Essex, Park Street, Washington, and State with pedestrian tunnels.

[28] The MBTA proposed to make the City Hall (Adams Square) headhouse exit-only during budget cuts in 1981.

Keeping the station open during extensive underground construction proved more difficult than expected; support structures had to be drilled through centuries-old foundations and seawalls.

[40] The change from token payment to the Charliecard system required closing the Blue Line level of the station from June 24 to July 1, 2006.