The park was an undeveloped open space for many years, until plans were made to install the statue of John Aaron Rawlins in 1874.

This changed in the 1890s when the area was cleared of marshes, and houses were built on the park's southern border.

In addition to the statue of Rawlins, the park features a central marble fountain with a rectangular pond on each side.

The statue of Rawlins is one of eighteen Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., that are collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS).

Sodded grass and trees form a barrier between the terrace level of the park and the lower portion.

[5] The statue was designed by Joseph A. Bailly and is one of eighteen Civil War Monuments in Washington, D.C., that are collectively listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites (DCIHS).

Tiber Creek was one block south, and on the east, a tract of land owned by David Burnes.

The first major development around the park was construction of The Octagon House for John Tayloe III in 1799.

The following year saw marked improvements of the area due to Alexander "Boss" Shepherd's vision of the city, including paved roads, gas and sewer lines, and sidewalks.

Landscaping, including adding multiple trees, was started around this time with the planting of "six junipers, eight Virginia cedars, four dogwoods, one sassafras, one black walnut, three English maples, three spireas, one magnolia, four forsythias, one birch, one Japan quince, and one jasmine.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers began filling in marshes in the Foggy Bottom area during the 1890s.

Part of the changes to be made were the removal of the chain-link fencing and redesigning the park from residential to commercial usage.

[2] In 1931, Center Market was demolished to make room for the National Archives Building, so the Rawlins statue was returned to the park.

[2] There was a tunnel built beneath the park that connected the two large Interior Department buildings.

Changes made including ending New York Avenue at the park and constructing the new tunnel expressway.

[2] Another event that took place in the 1960s was the proposed removal of the statue in Washington, D.C, to Rawlins, Wyoming, which was named after the general.

The successful opposition to the idea came from one of Rawlins' ancestors, who asked her senators in Indiana to intercede.

[12] On November 8, 1964, Rawlins Park was included as a contributing property to the DCIHS listing of the L'Enfant Plan.