State station
subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States
State station (also called State Street) is an underground Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the transfer point between the Orange Line and the Blue Line, and one of four "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. The Orange Line has two side platforms on two levels, while the Blue Line has two side platforms on a single level. The station is fully accessible.
The East Boston Tunnel (predecessor of the modern Blue Line) opened as a streetcar tunnel in 1904, with Devonshire one of its two stations in downtown Boston. The Washington Street Tunnel opened to carry the Main Line (predecessor of the Orange Line) in 1908, with platforms at Milk and State. In 1924, the East Boston Tunnel was converted to use metro rolling stock. The MBTA renamed the lines to the Blue Line and Orange Line in 1965, and renamed both stations to State in 1967. The Orange Line platforms were extended in the 1980s for six-car trains. A second renovation in 2006–2011 extended the Blue Line platforms and made all platforms accessible.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “State station” as subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2913313. Authority coordinates are 42.359, -71.058. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1904, 1908, 1924 and 1965.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “State station”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow State station primary sources, State station archive and State research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “State station”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “State station” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.