The museum was opened on 10 January 1880 and has been established in a monumental building dating to 1632.

The museum building originally belonged to the Gecommitteerde Raden van West-Friesland en het Noorderkwartier, as a part of the Staten van Holland en West-Friesland, and later became a court.

On 10 January 2005, the night the museum celebrated its 125th anniversary, four people stole 21 paintings of its paintings, including a piece by Jan van Goyen from his youth, and part of the silver collection, valued in the millions of euros.

[citation needed] Another painting by Jan Linsen was recovered from an apartment in Kraków, Poland in 2024.

When it reopens, the museum will continue to tell the story of 17th century Hoorn and the region.