It was opened in 1896 and was also marginally the closest Subway stop to the main line railway at Buchanan Street railway station which was closed in 1967. Like many of the original Subway stations, the surface entrance was part of the shop unit of a tenement building. After Cowcaddens was declared a Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) in the 1960s, mass demolition of tenement slums and other surrounding buildings took place, and by 1972 the station entrance was the only structure left standing in the area.
The station was rebuilt between 1977 and 1980, including the construction of a new surface-level ticket hall and the addition of escalators. Nevertheless, the station retained its original island platform configuration.
^ ab"Maps & stations". spt.co.uk. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
^"Bike parking facilities". spt.co.uk. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
^"Accessibility & mobility". spt.co.uk. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2023.