The building previously housed the Lasallian school Saint Joseph's Institution.

Built on the site of a small Catholic chapel erected in the 1830s, the first in Singapore, the former Saint Joseph's Institution is another example of the work of a 19th-century French priest-architect, Brother Lothaire.

Brother Lothaire was one of six Brothers, five Sisters and two young missionaries who came to Singapore with Reverend Father Jean Marie Beurel on his return from France in 1852 to found the new Catholic boys' school of Saint Joseph's Institution.

In 1903-1906, Father Charles Bénédict Nain, the then parish priest, added two new semi-circular wings to match the architectural theme of the central block and to define the fine Baroque entrance forecourt which is such an important part of the urban area in which it stands.

In 1910, verandahs running along the whole length of the building were added at the rear, a large dome built that replaced the old belfry was lined with teak and the cross was erected.