Some local residents would argue that the structure that houses the Watkins Community Museum of History is just as significant as any exhibit housed in the museum’s collection.

It’s also hard to imagine a better use for that building, the former Watkins National Bank at 1047 Mass., than as the home for the history museum.

That’s why it makes no sense to many observers for county commissioners or others to suggest that the museum consider relocating to a newer facility elsewhere in Lawrence.

The discussion was driven this week by concern over how much it will cost to maintain the building and provide amenities such as renovated public restrooms, a kitchen and new carpet. It’s not inexpensive to maintain a historic structure, but sometimes such a commitment is warranted.

The county certainly has made such a commitment with the historic Douglas County Courthouse, which sits catty-cornered from the museum. Both buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. The county has made significant investments over the years to preserve the courthouse and adapt it for continued use for county offices. The Watkins museum building deserves the same commitment.

The Douglas County Historical Society led a major fund-raising campaign in the 1970s to save and renovate the Watkins building, which it owns. The elegant structure with its marble floors and massive woodwork would be impossible to replace. What better location could the museum have than right on Massachusetts Street? And what would happen to this building if the Watkins museum moved elsewhere?

The city has had a taste of that dilemma in dealing with the former Carnegie Library building after the Lawrence Arts Center moved to its new home on New Hampshire Street. The building can’t be torn down because of its historic status. Because the city of Lawrence owns the building, it has borne the expense of maintaining and stabilizing it. New occupants have been sought for the building, and the idea of turning it into a “literacy center” is moving forward, but there seems to be little chance that the new tenants will lessen the city’s responsibility to keep the building in good repair.

The Douglas County Historical Society and the county have done an admirable job of preserving the museum’s historical home. It’s not an easy or inexpensive task, but it is a worthy effort. If this building is abandoned by Watkins museum, its future will be bleak. Public funding sources, like the county, could easily find themselves spending far more than they do now to preserve the bank building for some purpose that probably wouldn’t be as appropriate as its current use.

County commissioners are justified in the effort they’ve made in recent years to push the Watkins museum to become more financially self-sufficient, but they also should be willing to work with the historical society to help the museum maintain its historical home in downtown Lawrence.