The site resides on the former “Honor Farm,” also known as the “Atlanta Prison Farm,” – a 150-acre property maintained by inmates of the United States Federal Penitentiary until 1965. The land has changed ownership several times since the closure. The earliest records for the site date back to the 1800s when the land was used for a plantation. A portion of the property also made up a Civil War battlefield during the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.  

A 1995 proposal to open a youth detention center on the site led to a push to gain a historic designation. The Historic Preservation Division suggested the Atlanta Prison Farm be considered eligible for listing in the National Registrar of Historic Places. This would protect the site from certain developments. Environmental activists also want to protect the ecological richness of the area. The South River runs through the property, and there are concerns that further development would allow runoff to enter the waterway.