The two storey solid wooden building housing the museum today was built in the year 1897 as a fort by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke to impose peace and order in the region where warfare among the local tribes prevailed.
Built in 1991, Miri Civic Center functions as an exhibition foyer and amphitheater on the ground floor, holds the Miri Public Library on the second floor, and is a multi-purpose hall for various social functions such as wedding parties, concerts, large conferences etc.