During Kaiser Wilhelm II's journey through Palestine, he also paid a visit to the Schmidt's Girls College. At a meeting with him, Wilhelm Schmidt suggested building a new bigger and more suitable accommodation for pilgrims. The Kaiser had already supported the construction of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem and the establishing of the Abbey of the Dormition on Mount Zion. With his support, the German Association of the Holy Land acquired two parcels directly opposite the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem where they built the Paulus-Haus. After Schmidt died in 1907, the administrative role was passed on to Father Ernst Schmitz who continued building the library and expanded the natural sciences collections. The pilgrims' hospice moved into the new building in 1908 where a teachers' seminar was also established. As a result, more teaching space became available in the old hospice.