The 179th Street station (drawn up as 178th Street) had been planned along with the rest of the IND Queens Boulevard Line as its original terminus as early as 1928.
In December 1930, however, it was planned to construct stations only up to 169th Street, with tail tracks and switches installed up to the foot of the station at 178th Street, along with a provision for the station.
The tracks ended at bumper blocks, and the tunnel at a bulkhead.
Under these plans, the 178th Street station would be built during a further eastward extension.
The Queens Boulevard Line was extended up to 169th Street on April 24, 1937, with the tail tracks and switches used to store and reverse trains.
The 169th Street station provided an unsatisfactory terminal setup for a four-track line: there were no storage facilities provided at the 169th Street station, and since 169th Street was a local station, trains on the outer local tracks had to cross over to the inner express tracks to reverse direction.

Calls from the local community to build a new station at 178th Street occurred as early as 1932; several of these requests came from the Jamaica Estates Association.
In June 1936, the association petitioned Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia for the extension.
As early as 1936, the New York City Board of Transportation (predecessor to the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA) was evaluating construction of the station along with further eastward extensions of the line, with the board's 1940 budget allocating funding for the station.
Under the 1940 plans, construction of the station was set to take place between 1941 and 1945.
In January 1941, city councilman James A. Burke proposed extending the line to 178th Street, in order to relieve congestion at 169th Street.
Burke believed that a station could be built within the existing tunnel and trackage and cost only $100,000, while engineers from the Board of Transportation stated it would require additional tunneling and new relay tracks extending to 184th Street.
In July 1941, the Board of Transportation requested funding for a new express terminal station to replace 169th Street.
Construction was delayed, however, due to material shortages caused by the Great Depression, and further delayed due to the onset of World War II.

The plans for the station were approved after the war in 1946, in order to "provide a more satisfactory terminal" for the line.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 5, 1947, at 182nd Street and Hillside Avenue, with Mayor William O'Dwyer and now-borough president Burke in attendance.
A bus terminal accompanying the station, similar to the 165th Street Bus Terminal, was initially planned for the station but never built.
The station opened on December 11, 1950, at the cost of over $10 million; Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri and Queens Borough President Maurice A. FitzGerald attended the opening.
It was the last subway station whose construction was funded by New York City, until the construction of the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station on the 7 Subway Extension beginning in 2008.
Upon opening, the station became a major transit hub for passengers from south and east Queens and Nassau County, and led to increased development in Jamaica.
By 1959, the station was the busiest in Queens.

In 1981, the MTA listed the 179th Street station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system.
Later in the 1980s, the station was renovated and modernized; as part of the renovation, the IND-style purple tile band was removed from the station walls, and a design with intertwining blue and orange stripes was added.
During a further upgrade that occurred by about 2000, elevators were installed in the station to make it ADA-accessible.
The elevators were opened around 2005.
Starting in August 2007, the MTA began installing decorative ventilation grates along Hillside Avenue above the station, and sealing other grates, both in order to combat flooding.
At the time, the Hillside Avenue subway was considered the most flood-prone area in the subway system.
The 179th Street station (drawn up as 178th Street) had been planned along with the rest of the IND Queens Boulevard Line as its original terminus as early as 1928. In December 1930, however, it was planned to construct stations only up to 169th Street, with tail tracks and switches installed up to the foot of the station at 178th Street, along with a provision for the station. The tracks ended at bumper blocks, and the tunnel at a bulkhead. Under these plans, the 178th Street station would be built during a further eastward extension. The Queens Boulevard Line was extended up to 169th Street on April 24, 1937, with the tail tracks and switches used to store and reverse trains. The 169th Street station provided an unsatisfactory terminal setup for a four-track line: there were no storage facilities provided at the 169th Street station, and since 169th Street was a local station, trains on the outer local tracks had to cross over to the inner express tracks to reverse direction.
Calls from the local community to build a new station at 178th Street occurred as early as 1932; several of these requests came from the Jamaica Estates Association. In June 1936, the association petitioned Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia for the extension. As early as 1936, the New York City Board of Transportation (predecessor to the New York City Transit Authority and the MTA) was evaluating construction of the station along with further eastward extensions of the line, with the board's 1940 budget allocating funding for the station. Under the 1940 plans, construction of the station was set to take place between 1941 and 1945. In January 1941, city councilman James A. Burke proposed extending the line to 178th Street, in order to relieve congestion at 169th Street. Burke believed that a station could be built within the existing tunnel and trackage and cost only $100,000, while engineers from the Board of Transportation stated it would require additional tunneling and new relay tracks extending to 184th Street. In July 1941, the Board of Transportation requested funding for a new express terminal station to replace 169th Street. Construction was delayed, however, due to material shortages caused by the Great Depression, and further delayed due to the onset of World War II.
The plans for the station were approved after the war in 1946, in order to "provide a more satisfactory terminal" for the line. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 5, 1947, at 182nd Street and Hillside Avenue, with Mayor William O'Dwyer and now-borough president Burke in attendance. A bus terminal accompanying the station, similar to the 165th Street Bus Terminal, was initially planned for the station but never built. The station opened on December 11, 1950, at the cost of over $10 million; Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri and Queens Borough President Maurice A. FitzGerald attended the opening. It was the last subway station whose construction was funded by New York City, until the construction of the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station on the 7 Subway Extension beginning in 2008. Upon opening, the station became a major transit hub for passengers from south and east Queens and Nassau County, and led to increased development in Jamaica. By 1959, the station was the busiest in Queens.
In 1981, the MTA listed the 179th Street station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system. Later in the 1980s, the station was renovated and modernized; as part of the renovation, the IND-style purple tile band was removed from the station walls, and a design with intertwining blue and orange stripes was added. During a further upgrade that occurred by about 2000, elevators were installed in the station to make it ADA-accessible. The elevators were opened around 2005. Starting in August 2007, the MTA began installing decorative ventilation grates along Hillside Avenue above the station, and sealing other grates, both in order to combat flooding. At the time, the Hillside Avenue subway was considered the most flood-prone area in the subway system.
Jamaica–179th Street station