Official opening of the first regional architectural museum (A museum on problems of history and prospects of development of architecture of Ural) took place on March 29, 1975. The museum was created as structural division of Sverdlovsk architectural institute (SAI) and was placed in buildings of monuments of industrial architecture of the XIX century (the former shops of the Ekaterinburg mechanical factory).

    In the late seventies in a courtyard of a museum developed an exposition of large-sized equipment of the Ural plants. In this regard in 1985 the museum was renamed into the Museum of history of architecture and industrial equipment of Ural. In 1992 the bust here was established to the founder of industry business in the Urals to Peter I.

    At the beginning of the 2000th within museum modernization all sections of an exposition were concentrated in one building. Existing exhibits are added with unique materials from share meeting: photos of the end of XIX - the beginnings of XX centuries, drawings of old Ural equipment, models of monuments of industrial architecture of Ural. During this period the museum began to function as Museum exhibition complex of USAAA (The Ural state architectural and art academy) and proved as one of interesting exhibition platforms of the city.

    In 2008 the new stage in the history of a museum started. It was decided to reconstruct the existing buildings for placement on again constructed areas of new division of USAAA - the Ural center of development of design began. In 2012, considering need of advance of achievements of the Ural school of design, a museum renamed into an Architecture and Design Museum. According to the new concept of exposition plans three sections are developed: "Architecture of the Stone belt", "The Ural school of design", "USAAA: higher education institution history". The exposition is based on the unique share collections numbering more than 46 thousand units of storage