The land for the station was acquired by the city in 1938, and in order to construct the station and other utilities, the land had to be cleared of buildings. Some of the land was given to the New York City Parks Department in 1945 for the construction of Callahan-Kelly Playground, which was named after two local soldiers who died during World War I. The station was nearly complete when the United States' entrance into World War II in 1941 halted construction due to material shortages. Work resumed following the war to install the necessary signals, tracks and complete the escalators to the BMT platforms. The contract for the escalator was awarded on November 7, 1945 to the Otis Elevator Company. The station opened on December 30, 1946, while the escalator was completed on July 1, 1948 after supply delays. In the early 1950s, the platforms were extended to to accommodate 11-car trains.