Before it was turned into a museum, the Dutch building was home to many civil servants. Then it was called district judges’ bungalow. After that the Rajahs of Daspalla Estate owned it, according to official chronicling of the history of the museum.
Subsequently, it was acquired by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority and turned into museum by the civic body by forming Visakhapatnam Corporation Museum Trust in October 1991. It began collecting antiquities and artefacts of historic value from Vizianagaram Samsthanam, Kirlampudi estate, Jeypore and other royal families and local institutes like the Navy, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Andhra University, Hindustan Shipyard and eminent personalities.
During renovation in 2003-04, on a request from the Navy the Dutch building was allotted to establish Maritime Museum. It was inaugurated on the Navy Day on December 4, 2004. GVMC constructed two floors on the State Archaeology Department block spending Rs.30 lakh for the museum and it came into being in March 2005. Subsequently, land adjacent to the Dutch building was allotted for the District Museum on the ground floor. It houses sculptures and some ancient inscriptions relating to the city.
