[3][4][5] The Fulton Street subway was the city-owned Independent System (IND)'s main line from Downtown Brooklyn to southern Queens.

[3] Further construction past the line's initial terminal at Rockaway Avenue was delayed by funding problems due to the Great Depression in the 1930s.

[5][7] The progress lasted only a few years, as all work on the last portions in Brooklyn was stopped by December 1942 shortly after the United States entered World War II due to material shortages, with Broadway−East New York complete but not in operation due to lack of signal equipment, and the remaining stations to Euclid Avenue as unfinished shells.

[6][8][9] At the time, work on the section that included the Van Siclen Avenue station was more than 99% complete, but vital equipment had yet to be installed, precluding its opening.

[7] Construction resumed on the extension of the Fulton Street Line in November 1946,[10][11] following the conclusion of the war and the allocation of funds obtained by Mayor William O'Dwyer.

Small tile captions reading "VAN SICLEN" in white lettering on dark periwinkle run under the trim line, and directional signs in the same style are present under some of the name tablets.