Little is known about the early history of the Sennhof. Within the city walls, there was likely originally an agricultural operation with dairy farming, which gave birth to the name "Sennhof."

In 1603, the property came into the possession of the mint master Hans Jakob Wegerich of Bernau (1562–1606). He had a coat of arms stone erected with a bear and his initials "I – W V B 1603". This stone has been above the Sennhof gateway for over four hundred years. However, it is now heavily weathered.

In 1612, the property was already sold to the Menhardt family, who owned it until 1730. Subsequently, the Sennhof changed owners several times. Before the canton of Graubünden acquired the property in 1817, it housed not only a series of residences but also a soap factory.