Located in the former headquarters of the 4th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army in Osaka Castle Park, the ground floor opened to the public in December 1960, with the special exhibition Momoyama Culture.

After completion of the second stage of works, the entire museum opened in November 1962, with the special exhibition Famous Treasures of Osaka.

At the end of March 2001, Osaka City Museum permanently closed.

Later the same year, the new Osaka Museum of History opened a short distance away.

Transformed again, the former army headquarters building now functions as a dining and shopping space, under the moniker MIRAIZA Osaka-jo.