The Lost City Museum was established for the purpose of exhibiting the artifacts that were excavated from Pueblo Grande de Nevada. The site was facing threat brought by the waters of Lake Mead backing up behind the Hoover Dam. The lake was then filled to capacity and about 5 miles of sites had been swamped or undercut by the water.

The excavation was assisted by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which also helped in the construction of the museum building. Using sun-dried adobe brick, the Museum building was constructed in a pueblo- revival style. It also housed the park headquarters of the Boulder Dam State Park, which was established at Lake Mead.

The museum, built by the National Park Service, is now one of the six museums of the State of Nevada, which owns and maintains it. Aside from the artifacts, the Museum offers a variety of programs and resources such as school tours, outreach programs, changing exhibits, archival library and collections research capabilities, and ongoing archaeological research on the remaining Lost City sites.