[1] The Italian palazzo-style building dates from 1895 and was designed by the New York City-based Renwick, Aspinwall and Russell and Springfield architect Walter T.

[4][5] He began collecting art in the late 1850s, including a number of Japanese and Chinese armor, swords, cloisonné, carvings, and furniture.

[3] At the time of its opening, the museum had Tiffany windows, fireproof walls, gas and electric lighting, and fourteen skylights.

[8] The museum's exterior featured friezes on its southwest and front sides, which listed the names of great European and Japanese artists.

[3] Rather than sort the museum's collections by region or era, Smith arranged the objects in displays that he found beautiful or striking.

[3] In the late 1930s, the museum hosted a wood sculpture exhibition organized by the Works Projects Administration.

[17] In 2020, the museum auctioned off twelve of its collection items through Christie's,[18] a move which was criticized by the South China Morning Post, which suggested the items had not been acquired ethically by Smith and should be returned to China rather than auctioned off.

Greek pottery and glass from the George Walter Vincent Smith Collection complement the classical sculptures.