A special hands-on area for children, featuring six educational activity sections, was renovated and renamed as KidZone in 1998.

The distinctive cast-iron facade limestone building was originally built in 1878 as a dry goods warehouse.

The city purchased the property in 1975, and the museum moved to the premises in 1977, subsequently winning several design awards for its preservation of the building.

In 2009, the center opened a Science Education Wing on the building's first floor.

The wing includes four science-workshop labs equipped for "hands-on participation".