Originally laid out as St. James Square in 1848, local newspapers dubbed the site a park in 1885, shortly after a fountain was installed in the center of the area.

Since then, a road and light rail tracks have been added, bisecting the park; it is now a popular gathering spot for the homeless population of San Jose.

[4]: 8 [5] Under O'Donnell's plan, the landscaping effort was in planting hundreds of trees to provide shade, a rarity in downtown San Jose at the time.

Ulrich is credited with adding rows of palm trees along North First and Third streets to provide a more formal border between the park and encroaching downtown businesses.

[10][11] After his assassination in September 1901, citizens of San Jose held a memorial service at St. James Park and began planning a permanent monument.

The standing bronze sculpture, mounted on a granite pedestal, was executed by Rupert Schmid at a cost of US$13,500 (equivalent to $458,000 in 2023), paid through private donations.

[4]: 14  During the construction of the post office, Harold Thurmond and John Holmes were lynched in St. James Park for the kidnapping and murder of Brooke Hart in November 1933.

[23][24][25] In 1994, the Memorial Bell for San Jose firefighters was moved to the park from Plaza de César Chávez;[3]: 11  it was subsequently relocated to Old Fire Station 1 in 2001.

[28] Clarence Letcher was a prominent San Jose automobile dealer who was shot and killed by his wife in a murder-suicide that occurred at the Garage on July 3, 1926.