The marble arch was designed by John Nash in 1825, and was originally an entrance feature of Buckingham Palace. Removed in 1850–51, the arch was then moved to its current location of a large traffic island opposite Hyde Park in 1908. Inside the white Carrara marble structure are three rooms, which were used as police stations until 1968.

In 1930, the original Marble Arch station, as designed by Harry Bell Measures in 1900, was reformed in order to accommodate escalators. This led to the destruction of the original surface building.