West Fourth Street opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street.
At the time, only the upper level was used, with service on the lower level beginning on December 15, 1940 with the opening of the Sixth Avenue local tracks.
The Sixth Avenue express tracks were built later and were put into through service on November 27, 1967; prior to then, the express tracks here and at 34th Street–Herald Square were used as terminal tracks only.

The station was named "West Fourth Street" as opposed to merely "Fourth Street" because the planners of the Independent Subway System believed there would be confusion between this station and "South Fourth Street", a proposed transfer station on the never-built IND Second System in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
West Fourth Street opened on September 10, 1932, as part of the city-operated Independent Subway System (IND)'s initial segment, the Eighth Avenue Line between Chambers Street and 207th Street. At the time, only the upper level was used, with service on the lower level beginning on December 15, 1940 with the opening of the Sixth Avenue local tracks. The Sixth Avenue express tracks were built later and were put into through service on November 27, 1967; prior to then, the express tracks here and at 34th Street–Herald Square were used as terminal tracks only.
The station was named "West Fourth Street" as opposed to merely "Fourth Street" because the planners of the Independent Subway System believed there would be confusion between this station and "South Fourth Street", a proposed transfer station on the never-built IND Second System in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
West Fourth Street–Washington Square station