In August 1852, Father Jean-Marie Beurel purchased the house for the Sisters of the Holy Infant Jesus on his own expense of 4,000 francs.

Father Jean-Marie Beurel had since acquired all the nine lots of land that would constitute the entire convent complex and presented them to Reverend Mother Mathilde.

In 1892, a boarding house was built on the Stamford Road side of the complex with contributions from the government and wealthy benefactors.

By December, both primary and secondary schools had vacated the site and moved to their new premises in Toa Payoh, where they began operations in the following year.

[8] The Urban Redevelopment Authority put up the site for sale in March 1990 and gazetted the Caldwell House and the Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Chapel as national monuments on 26 October 1990 to preserve the ambience of the remaining buildings and designated the entire complex as a conservation area, with high restoration standards and strict usage guidelines.

[citation needed] Caldwell House, the chapel and the remaining school building blocks underwent extensive restoration works in 1991, the complex was reopened in 1996 as CHIJMES.