The South Haven Art League was organized in 1951 under the sponsorship of the American Association of University Women. The original purpose of the Art League was to encourage individual artists to pursue their art, and to create interest in the visual arts and foster the growth of art in the community.

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The South Haven Center for the Arts resides in a Carnegie Library, built at a cost of $12,500 with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation in 1905. The library vacated the building in 1959 and it was used as a community center until the late 1970s. It was renovated in the mid-1980s by the South Haven Art Association (Inc. 1984) with help from the City of South Haven, The Michigan Council for the Arts (now MCACA), an equity grant from the State of Michigan, fundraisers, and private donations. The SHCA opened the doors of its permanent space on June 9, 1990.

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The building underwent a second renovation beginning in 2015. An elevator was installed. and the original maple flooring has been restored, as well as the palladium windows on the second floor.