The Museum and Its Historic Building
In 2003, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit requested permission to use a then-vacant building on the grounds of the Grand Palace to house a new museum of textiles. The Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building, erected in 1870 by King Rama V and formerly the Ministry of Finance, was graciously granted for this purpose by His Late Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
This Italianate office building had previously served as the Ministry of Finance and the Office of Royal Ceremony. For its reinvention as a museum it underwent a top-to-bottom renovation that transformed it into a state-of-the-art facility boasting new visitor reception areas, galleries, storage, an education studio, library, lecture hall, and Thailand’s first dedicated textile conservation laboratory. Nonetheless, its past is still very much present, in the preservation of its original façade and many internal architectural details.