The Presidential Library Parking Garage site is located within Block 2 of Ninian Edwards' Addition to Springfield. It is the northern-most parcel outlined in yellow on this 1854 plat map.

In 1854, the project area was predominantly residential in character except for the large Farnsworth House which was an inn or boarding house catering to the transient guests drawn to Springfield by the state capitol.

By 1867, the date of this bird's-eye view, the neighborhood slated for development of the parking garage had been completely built up and was a mature urban environment.

Phase II testing of the proposed parking garage location was conducted by cutting a series of backhoe trenches in search of subsurface features.

A wide range of subsurface historic features (including cisterns, privies, wells, and house foundations) were encountered during the Phase II testing. Based on the results of th testing, the site was determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.