Originally built as the American hospitals for women and men, the buildings incorporated arched verandas that were visually appealing, conducive to socialization, and provided ventilation and cooling breezes in the warm summer months. As hospitals, the buildings served Kuwait for almost thirty years.

Today, the buildings continue to serve the community. The former women’s hospital is the temporary home of the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah administrative offices and the library. The larger building, originally the men’s hospital, is a training museum that includes five current exhibitions, Splendors of the Ancient East: Antiquities from the al-Sabah Collection, Story of Amricani, Loans from the Kuwait National Museum, Modern Architecture Kuwait: 1949 - 1989 and Mirrored Nature: The Full Circle, and temporary exhibition space. There is also an education wing, a conservation lab, and a theatre. Since it opened as a cultural centre in November 2011, the Amricani is once again alive with visitors.