The Michigan Women's Studies Association (MWSA), an academic-professional organization, was founded in 1973 on the campus of Michigan State University. Their goal was to change what is thought and taught about women's role in history, particularly Michigan women, in public schools and at the college level.

In February of 1976, anticipating the need for a broader role and mission in community education, MWSA was formally reconstituted as a non-profit corporation and granted 501(c)3 tax exempt status.

In 1980, following almost a year of planning, MWSA acquired a lease on the Cooley-Haze House from the city of Lansing on the condition that the building be brought up to code and fully renovated for use as the site of the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame. By February of 1986, approximately $180,000 had been raised in building funds and work began in the summer of 1986 on the renovation.

The Center was dedicated and opened to the public on June 10, 1987, the anniversary date of Michigan's ratification of the Women's Suffrage Amendment. Since the opening, the Center has encouraged Lansing's efforts to restore Cooley Gardens, and is now surrounded by a beautiful garden and picnic area.

The Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame displays cultural and historical exhibits on the accomplishments and achievements of Michigan women. The Center is also home to the Belen Gallery in which the work of Michigan women artists and photographers is shown. 

In October of 1983, the first Awards Dinner for the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame was held in Dearborn at the Fairlane Manor. This event was attended by over 700 friends and supporters, men as well as women of different races and origin. Participating in the program honoring distinguished Michigan women who were inducted into the Hall of Fame that evening were such leaders as Secretary of State Richard Austin, former Governor George Romney, First Lady Paula Blanchard, Chief Justice G. Mennen Williams and Justice James Brickley of the Michigan Supreme Court, the Honorable Wade McCree, Jr., and others equally prominent. The success of this first evening of awards was subsequently repeated in February of 1985, also in Dearborn, and each year thereafter alternating between southeast Michigan and Lansing. 

The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame Gallery currently displays over 200 distinguished women including Rosa Parks, Helen Milliken, Betty Ford, Patricia Hill Burnett, Lily Tomlin, Gilda Radner, Dorothy Comstock Riley, Mother Waddles, Sippie Wallace, Jean "The Queen" Steinberg, Helen Thomas, former Lieutenant Governor Connie Binsfeld, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Aretha Franklin, and Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Organizations, businesses, and private foundations have contributed greatly to the development of the Center. Among the major contributors have been the Michigan Education Association, the Michigan Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, the United Auto Workers, the Michigan Division of the American Association of University Women, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, the Women's Coordinating Committee of Grand Rapids, the Junior League of Lansing, and the Tri-City (Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City) Friends of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. The Kmart Corporation, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, and the Automobile Club of Michigan, along with other major corporations, have been equally supportive.

The Gannett Newspaper Foundation, the Greater Lansing Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company Fund have also made significant contributions to the Center. In addition, the Center has received special grant funding from the Board of Commissioners of Ingham County, the State of Michigan, The Michigan Humanities Council, and the city of Lansing, the latter having established a trust fund in excess of $60,000 available for building renovation purposes on a matching-gift basis.

Since the opening of the Center, the establishment of the Friends of the Michigan Women's Historical Center and Hall of Fame has been a significant source of support of both volunteer effort and operating funds. The friends group has grown to 450 members with plans to eventually involve over 1,000 individuals and organizations annually.

The Center has published an anthology, Historic Women of Michigan, edited by Rosalie Riegle Troester; an educational resource packet, "How the Suffragist Changed Michigan"; and Michigan Women: Firsts and Founders Volumes I and II by Betty MacDowell and Rachel Brett Harley, as well as several smaller publications.

The Center has changing exhibits and sponsors many events such as the "Picnic on the Lawn" in June. The Picnic is one of the major fundraisers for the year and brings together friends for a fun-filled evening of food, entertainment, and conversation. The Center also pays tribute to mothers on Mother's Day by sending cards and gifts to individuals for a small price.