The park covers an area of 8,424 m² and formerly served as the summer garden for the Officers' House, featuring amenities such as a dance floor and a volleyball court. Plans for the 21st century have included a children's playground and a community garden; a mural by Maari Soekov and Sandra Ruut adorns the walls of the garages bordering the park.
In the late 19th century, the site of the Officers' Park was occupied by Georg Sachs's garden, which had been purchased for the use of the Estonian Literary Society. In 1891, the garden served as the venue for the 4th General Song Festival; later, it passed into the possession of the Taara Society, which operated a velodrome on the site where the Officers' House would eventually stand. During the first quarter of the 20th century, the area became known as the "Taara Garden," featuring a public children's playground, walking paths, and a staircase leading to Jaama Street. The cycling club organized a wide range of public events—from discussion evenings to parties and exhibitions—both independently and in collaboration with the Estonian Literary Society.
The name "Taara Garden" and the use of the site for public events persisted even after the Taara Society was reorganized and following the suspension of society activities during the Soviet occupation in 1940. Starting in 1956, the Taara Garden was redeveloped into the Officers' Quarter; the garden attached to the newly built Officers' House (constructed on the site of the former velodrome) became known as the Officers' Park. The park featured a volleyball court, a dance floor, and other attractions, hosting various dance and musical events.
In 1991, the Tartu City Monuments Commission planned to create a "Garden of Apparitions" within the Officers' Park to house Soviet-era monuments removed from the urban landscape, but the project was never realized due to a lack of funding.
