The building housing the museum was built between 1972 and 1977 due to an initiative of the marriage of Harold R. Pape and Suzanne Lou Pape,  with a design by architect Antonio Harb and museographic concept by architects Carlos Valdés and Jorge Bribiesca. It was open to the public on August 14th, 1977 with the objective of spreading contemporary art of Mexico and foreign as well as different archaeological collections of the country. It is an architectural complex that includes a modern library with more than one thousand volumes and the Mini Pape Cultural Center where different art and languages workshops are taught for local children. The Pape marriage arrived in Monclova in 1942 and for many years they were important promoters of culture, education and social welfare in the city. The foundation named after them continues building parks, schools and sports centers. The Pape Museum Library has three permanent halls displaying painting, sculpture and graphics, photography, archaeological pieces and numismatics collections. The temporary hall displays high quality exhibits in plastic arts and archaeology. Altogether, this cultural center offers different services: auditorium, library, newspaper library, photo library, video library, guided visits, courses and workshops, concerts, lectures, book presentations and art contests.