In 1923 the city built a new home for the library and museum. The building was designed by Leonardo Rucabado. Starting in 1941, the library moved out of the building. The museum took over the whole building and began to change its collections. It kept the paintings and sculptures but gave the archaeological, natural history, and ethnology objects to other museums in Santander and the Cantabria region. The museum re-opened on 3 November 1947 with a new name: Museo Municipal de Pinturas (Municipal Museum of Painting). In 1957 the museum changed its name again. It became the Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes de Santander (Municipal Museum of Fine Arts of Santander).