Prior to Shi-Tennoji's use, the campus was used as a school to educate children of U.S. soldiers, as well as being a Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ashram.

The Mock Tudor manor, built in 1906, is listed as a Grade II historic site.

Upon its opening Shi-Tennoji School already had two dormitory buildings and a gymnasium dating from its previous uses.

Tim Sargeant of the building renovation firm City & Country Group stated the "large, dark roofs" were defining features of the dormitories.

[3] Phil McNeill of The Daily Telegraph described the gymnasium as appearing "like an aircraft hangar", and he described that structure and the pre-conversion dormitory blocks as "ugly".

[3] The school owners added a Buddhist temple, which only had low-level windows so occupants could concentrate on religious exercises.

For aesthetic purposes, the developer added dormer windows and changed the roofs to have lighter colours.