[4] This station opened on April 24, 1937 as part of an extension of the Independent Subway System's Queens Boulevard Line.

The Queens Boulevard Line was one of the first built by the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND), and was planned to stretch between the IND Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan and 178th Street and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.

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

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

The stops to the east, including Sutphin Boulevard, still needed to be tiled and did not have stairways, turnstiles and lighting installed.

[26] This extension was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Parsons Boulevard station and with a parade along Hillside Avenue.

[a][30] The New York City Board of Transportation had announced plans in November 1949 to spend $325,000 extending platforms at several IND stations, including 75th Avenue, to accommodate 11-car trains;[31][32] the bid for the project went out in 1951.

[42]: 9–10  Service at local stations, such as Sutphin Boulevard, was replaced by the R, which was extended to 179th Street from Continental Avenue.

Local elected officials pressured the MTA to eliminate all-local service at these stations.

[47] The test started on October 26, 1992 and was implemented on a permanent basis six months later, eliminating express service along Hillside Avenue.

[48][45] In 2003, Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposed closing 177 part-time token booths, later reduced to 62,[49] across the subway system and replace them with MetroCard Vending Machines and High-Entry/Exit Turnstiles to help cut the MTA's $1 billion deficit.

[58] Both platforms have a yellow trim line with a black border and mosaic name tablets reading "SUTPHIN BLVD."

[61][62] Small "SUTPHIN" and directional tile captions run below the trim line and name tablets.

[63] Blue I-beam columns run along both platforms at regular intervals with alternating ones having the standard black station name plate in white lettering.

[65]: 3  This station has a full length mezzanine above the platforms and tracks supported by blue I-beam columns, and allows for free crossovers between directions.

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

[65]: 3 The main fare control area, formerly the station's full-time entrance,[67] is at the east (railroad north) end.

[53][68] On the opposite side of the full-time turnstile bank, there was an unstaffed fare control area that has a single staircase going down to each platform and is now gated off.

[51] In the movie Coming to America, Eddie Murphy's character, Akeem, tries to persuade his love interest to marry him and go to Zamunda, a fictional kingdom in Africa.