The Grant Park neighborhood was named for Lemuel P. Grant, who was responsible for bringing the railroad to Atlanta.  He served as chief engineer for the Department of the Militia, C.S.A. during the Civil War, and was responsible for the planning and supervision of the construction of defensive lines around the city.

Grant Park was established in 1882 when Grant, a successful engineer and businessman, gave the city of Atlanta 100 acres in the newly-developed "suburb" where he lived.  Grant Park the oldest city park in Atlanta, Georgia and fourth in size only to Chastain Park, Freedom Park, and Piedmont Park.

George Gress, a local lumbar merchant, purchased animals from a failed circus and donated them to the city in 1889.  The city decided Grant Park was the best location for the zoo and designated space within the Park for the attraction.  Grant Park has another attraction besides the zoo and the park itself:  the Atlanta Cyclorama, the circular painting of the 1864 Battle of Atlanta from the American Civil War, was exhibited in the park.  The cyclorama was to gain its own dedicated building in the park in 1921. 

In 1890, the city acquired another 44 acres for the park and appointed Sidney Root as its first park commissioner.  Then in 1903, the Olmsted Brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, were hired to create a plan for the park.  Originally the park included Lake Abana to handle storm-water runoff.  After several years, zoo expansions and parking requirements caused the removal of a portion of the lake.

After many years of neglect and abuse, the City of Atlanta Parks Bureau commissioned a new master plan for the park in 1996.  The consultants who were working on the plan met with a citizen advisory group and together they created the Grant Park Conservancy.  Today, the Conservancy raises funds to enhance and preserve the park for the enjoyment of all its visitors.  Now a very popular tourist attraction, over two million people visit the park per year.

Grant Park is also the “in-town” neighborhood surrounding Grant Park and is Atlanta's largest historic neighborhood.  Grant Park, as a neighborhood, began to be populated in the 1890's by upper middle class families and reached its zenith around 1905.  Craftsmen built many of the architecturally distinctive homes you see today.  Many of Grant Park homes in the area are Craftsman-style bungalows, although Shotgun/Double Shotgun, English Vernacular Revival, renovated Victorian, and Queen Anne styles can also be found throughout the neighborhood.

The Grant Park neighborhood was split in two with the construction of I-20, and it has struggled from time to time to maintain its success as a neighborhood.  Residents joined together into a neighborhood association and a conservancy group to actively work together to reinvigorate the area.  The entire area, both north and south of I-20, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.