The National Museum of Nan was originally the residence of King Suriyaphongphalitdej, the ruler of Nan. It was constructed in 1903 and features a two-story brick and concrete building with a front porch and a gabled wooden roof, situated on a plot of 14 rai, 2 ngan, and 32 square wah. After the last ruler of Nan, Chao Mahaprom Surathada, passed away, his descendants donated this hall along with the land to the government for use as the provincial hall of Nan. Later, when the Ministry of the Interior built a new provincial hall, the Fine Arts Department requested to take over the building to establish the National Museum of Nan in 1974, which was officially inaugurated in 1985. The opening ceremony was presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on August 14, 1987.