The 59th Street station was constructed as part of the Fourth Avenue Line, which was approved in 1905. Construction on the segment of the line that includes 59th Street started on March 15, 1913, and was completed in 1915. The station opened on June 22, 1915, as the southernmost station of the initial portion of the BMT Fourth Avenue Line. The station's platforms were lengthened in 1926–1927, and again during the 1960s. Elevator access was added in late 2020, in tandem with a station renovation between 2018 and 2020 to make the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.