In 1865, the school appointed British painter James Payton and two other teachers, Joseph Crowe and Geroge Wilkins Terry, who ‘offered training in European art and aesthetics.’ Crowe, a scholar of the Renaissance, ‘taught orthographic projection, geometry and figure drawing to students’ with an emphasis on ‘training students to copy from works of classical artists so that they could acquire technical skills to render drawings from life later.’ These skills of draughtsmanship would also enable the graduates to secure jobs with the colonial administration as surveyors and documenters of territory and landscape around the country.

In 1865, the school brought on John Lockwood Kipling and John Griffiths from the South Kensington School of Art in London, marking a shift towards ‘a focus on decorative and industrial arts.’ Under their leadership, ‘architectural design came to be offered and the school became involved in urban planning’. As Sadwelkar noted, copying the frescoes of Ajanta was a major undertaking under the auspices of Griffiths, which would eventually percolate into the styles of Indian modern artists. Sadwelkar writes, ‘Griffiths observed that one of “the most curious and interesting of my experiences was the initiation of Hindu, Farsi and Goanese students in the mysteries of an art still congenial to the oriental temperament and hand—I am persuaded that no European, no matter how skillful, could have so completely caught the spirit of the originals.” However, none of the artists of that period were drawn to the aesthetics of Ajanta, but aspired to master the Western technique of illusionistic realism.’ Thus, the construction of the Ajanta copies as a source for rejuvenating modern Indian art was a slow process, initially resisted by the students themselves, until it became a norm for formulating a classical basis for Indian modern art.

Although William Emerson was the chief architect for the Crawford Market (the old name is still commonly used), built in 1869 and donated to the city by Cowasji Jehangir, students from the J. J. School, led especially by Principal John Lockwood Kipling, were instrumental in creating the decorative features of the market that expresses a blend of classical, western sculpture and Indian subjects. Designs and copies of the features and the structure were exhibited back in London too, highlighting the exchanges between colonial styles and indigenous works that were being produced at the time. Writing in the 1980s, Jan Morris suggested that these ‘friezes’ represented ‘ideal market-people and their clients, women with plump babies, well-built porters with luscious loads ... presenting a paradigm of what a market ought to look like, in the dreams alike of the imperial British and the arts and crafts movement...’

She further observed that, ‘Fruits, fish, meats, poultry and various craftwork were all sold in it, and it looks today, in its functions as in its substance, almost exactly as it did when it was built. Inside it is unexpectedly fine. A central hall with two wings, Moorishly arched, it is lined with wooden stalls, often set on several tiers, so that market-people are to be seen high above their produce, bawling offers or reaching down for cash. The floor is clad in flagstones from Caithness, there are ecclesiastical windows at each end, and the whole structure is fitted out, wherever you look, with whimsical iron lamp-brackets in the shape of winged dragons—perched upon by pigeons, and fouled by their immemorial droppings, but still graceful and surprising.’

The Victoria Terminus (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus or CSMT) in Bombay (Mumbai) is an iconic railway station known for its Victorian Gothic architecture. It was designed in the High Victorian Gothic style by British architect Frederick William Stevens. Students and craftsmen from the J. J School of Art were involved in creating the ornamental and decorative elements of the Victoria Terminus. This included intricate carvings, sculptures, and other artistic embellishments that adorn the building's facade and interior. This style was characterised by its pointed arches, intricate carvings, spires, and stained-glass windows, possibly designed by students trained at the stained-glass workshops at the School, reflecting a blend of Victorian and Indian architectural influences.

The construction of the Victoria Terminus began in 1878 and was completed in 1887. It took almost a decade to build this grand structure, which stands as a symbol of Mumbai's Victorian-era architectural prowess. The building is constructed primarily of a combination of stone, including coarse-grained Kurla basalt for the walls and fine Porbandar sandstone for decorative elements. These materials were locally sourced and contributed to the building's durability and aesthetic appeal.

One of the most striking features is its high central dome, which rises above the main entrance. The dome is adorned with intricate carvings and topped with a crowning figure of a woman holding a torch, symbolizing progress. The station is flanked by turrets and towers, each intricately detailed with carvings and sculptures that depict various motifs including animals, flowers, and Indian architectural elements. The interior features stunning stained-glass windows that depict scenes from Indian mythology and British history, adding a colorful and majestic aura to the station. Beyond its architectural splendor, the Victoria Terminus was designed to be highly functional, accommodating the burgeoning railway traffic in Bombay. It served as a major hub connecting different parts of India through its extensive railway network. Those responsible for the bringing in of the railways, either Directors of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway or other prominent people of that age, such as Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, Lord Reay, Jagannath Shankarshet and others, are honoured on the walls with busts in a series of medallions.

Today, the Sir JJ School of Art offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Painting, Sculpture, Metal Work, Ceramics, Textile Design, and Interior Decoration, along with diploma courses in Art Education and Teaching. The school's heritage building, constructed in 1878 in neo-Gothic style, is recognised by the Government of Maharashtra as a protected structure.

A historian and teacher at J.J., Manisha Patil, writes, ‘Sir. J.J. School of Art has several distinguishing features a sprawling tree lined campus in the heart of Mumbai, a Grade II heritage building with well lit spacious studios, superlative skills, perhaps some of the best in the country, and a strategic location with close proximity to museums and public/private galleries. The Dean’s charming old bungalow on the campus, where the renowned writer Rudyard Kipling, whose father Lockwood Kipling was a respected teacher at J.J., spent his childhood, has also attracted a fair amount of public attention.’