Grogol started as a lunatic asylum which was converted in a Japanese Internment Camp for civilians during World War II.

[2] Triangle-shaped Grogol began as a new residential suburb built on 25 hectares of land.

This land has been allocated by the Jakarta city government in 1952 for housing, especially for public servants which includes a number of members from the parliament.

Grogol was located on the eastern side of the West Flood Canal and was designed to be flood-proof as a conscious effort to address Jakarta's regular flooding problems.

Despite the planning, heavy rains in February 1960 flooded the residential area in Grogol up to the knee and waist.