In the spring of 2003, not long after the last user, the trade union, had closed the door behind him, a number of trade unionists argued for the preservation of this building of the former occupational health service of shipyard ‘De Schelde’. In those years, the Stadsherstel foundation also regularly advocated for the preservation of the building.
In the spring of 2008, L’Escaut Woonservice approached the Scheldekwartier Initiative Group, which, on behalf of the Stichting Stadsherstel Vlissingen, is committed to a responsible design of the public area on the old yard site. From these conversations the idea arose for a museum in the former Verbandkamer about shipyard De Schelde and a new working group was soon formed.
On 27 November 2008, the entire Municipal Council of Vlissingen passed a motion from the Labor Party, in which the Municipal Executive (among other things) was instructed to keep the former Verbandkamer if a suitable destination would be found. This idea is initiated by the municipality of Vlissingen.

On the initiative of Mr J. van Beekhuizen, former director of l’Escaut, an initiative group came together in the summer of 2008. This initiative group consisted of Messrs P. Feij, J, van Beekhuizen, D. Roos jr., R. den Broeder and H. Schaap. The focus of the discussions was: How to preserve the former dressing room and how to use the building, standing on the site purchased by the municipality of Vlissingen, to give the shipbuilding history a permanent place.

The intention to set up a foundation was realized in the summer of 2009 with the establishment of the Shipbuilding History Foundation Vlissingen. At that time, the Municipality of Vlissingen lent the De Oude Verbandkamer building until 2017. In that same year, the municipality extended the loan to 2021. After this loan period, the Municipality intends to sell the building to the Foundation.
In the initial phase, the board of the foundation was engaged in refurbishing and furnishing the building with funds from various sponsors. In those early years, the building functioned as a visitor center from which guided tours of the Scheldt site were organized on Saturdays using an old truck and a Spijkstaal (old company car from the Scheldt).