The building served as city hall from 1892-1936; the new city hall opened on Lottie Street in 1939 and the museum opened in 1941. The galleries on the first floor were once the treasurer and comptroller’s offices. The main gallery on the second floor served first as an armory and then was used as the city council chamber and courtroom. The clock tower, accessible via a spiral staircase, offers a 360-degree panorama of Bellingham and Bellingham Bay.