The site opened as Derby’s Industrial Museum, on 29 November 1974.

The site was adapted for use as Derby’s Industrial Museum, which opened on 29 November 1974.

[citation needed] The Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods (Item 7 put before the Council Cabinet meeting held on 26 October 2010) indicated that this would result in the loss of 8.6 full-time jobs but would release £197,000 a year to mitigate the loss of "Renaissance Programme" funding.

[3] In October 2016, a £17 million redevelopment programme started to reinvent and redevelop the museum for the 21st century, incorporating the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM).

[11] The museum exhibits are largely on the upper floors to reduce the amount of damage that would be done in the case of flooding such as that which occurred in October 2023 due to Storm Babet.