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 1870 Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building was graciously granted for this purpose by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The building_for many decades serving as the offices of the Ministry of Finance_was completely remodeled into a state-of-the-art museum. Its modern facilities include a new lobby, 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 fa“ade and many internal architectural details.