The land on which the buildings stand was previously occupied by a "luxurious" private residence. The building was officially opened in 1939, with enrollment having increased to 720 by then. The school closed during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, which lasted from 1942 to 1945. In 1951, the school announced that it would be building a new building with 12 classrooms on the site for $150,000. It was to be completed in the middle of the following year. The foundation stone for the building was laid on 25 December. Chinese and English newspapers, as well as currency notes, were placed under the stone. In February 1981, the Foo Chow Association announced that it would be closing the San Shan School in the following year as a result of declining enrollment. The buildings were to be occupied by the
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, which was to move in following the closing of the San Shan School. The academy paid the association a rent of $120 per year. However, the association announced in 1983 that the rent would be increased to $25,000 beginning in January of the following year. The academy moved out of the site in that year. In 1996, the government acquired the property, which was to be demolished to make way for the construction of the
North East MRT line. However, the buildings were not demolished and continued to be rented out. It later became the premises of the Cornerstone Training Centre. After the centre left the property, it was left vacant. ==References==