Historical information

An article about the old Hibernian Hall that was once owned by Legacy (from 1944 to 1954) at 342 Swanston Street. The building was bought with a donation from an American, Richard Goldsmith, in memory of David H Dureau. It was unsuitable for Legacy's needs and Legacy remained at their premises in 45 Market St until this building was sold in 1954 and the proceeds used to buy 293 Swanston St in 1956.
The exact date of the article is not known -probably 1956 - after it was acquired by RMIT (at that stage called Royal Melbourne Technical College) and the article mentions the renovations underway.
The article was in a folder of documents about the history of Legacy which appears to have been mostly compiled by Legatee Cyril Smith as he has many hand written notes on miscellaneous pieces of paper (some are envelopes addressed to him). The notes were typed up into a summary of the History of Legacy. Also documents relating to the first time Legacy approached the public for donations in September 1956, including newspaper articles that were reprinted, a schedule of information that was approved to be released to the press, and a list of potential donors that was circulated to Legatees in the hope they could contact the ones they knew personally or professionally. The call for public donations was partially due to the purchase of the Dureau building and the need to modify the building for Legacy's needs.
The documents from this folder have been added in seperate records (see 01262 to 01281).
The folder was part of an attempt to capture history of Legacy, generally from the 1950s.

Significance

The documents provide an insight into the working of Legacy, especially in the 1950s. Legatee Cyril Smith and others were detailing their experiences and knowledge for the future.

Physical description

Newspaper article about a property once owned by Legacy in Swanston st.