[4] In 1986, the Ponce Municipal Government purchased the Castillo Serrallés to turn it into the Museum of Puerto Rican Music.

[10] In 1996, the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP) moved the Music Museum to its current location at Isabel and Salud streets.

The back yard of the property still preserves an outdoors bar-like area complete with the Destileria Serrallés and Don Quixote logo.

The museum is "designed to produce the necessary visual and auditory impact on the audience so as to maximize the potential to draw the actual value of the unique Puerto Rican music".

[16] In June 2012, the Senate of Puerto Rico approved Resolución Conjunta del Senado 957 (Joint Senate Resolution 957) to rename the Museo de Música Puertorriqueña as Museo de la Música Puertorriqueña Ruth Fernández in honor of the singer.