37 Albany Street

1877 – 1960s Catholic Cathedral School, later renamed St Mary’s Roman Catholic SchoolThis house had become a Catholic Girl’s School in 1877 and with the addition of Number 39 in 1892 the school catered for both girls and boys. On St Andrews’s Day in 1892, as part of Catholic celebrations in the city, an audience of over 2,300, including the Archbishop and about 40 priests from all parts of the diocese, attended a concert given by the school’s 450 pupils at St Mary’s Cathedral. It was reported that ‘that the young ladies attending the upper class school, Albany-street, performed the "Reaper's Song and Drill" in character, and so successfully as to elicit unbounded approval.’ In 1894, the Sisters of Charity took charge of the schools. Ae newspaper reported the imminent arrival of ‘Sisters from Paris and London whose peculiarities of dress - the white hood with streaming cornettes – are well known.’ In 1907 a large hall was built in the garden areas behind, and contained a stage, dance-floor and balcony. In 1913, there was a fire at the school. The alarm was raised early on a Saturday morning by two passing policemen who noticed smoke issuing from the roof. When they and the caretaker inspected the building they discovered that a top floor room on fire. Smoke swiftly began to fill the building and an evacuation of the children sleeping in the building took place. Neighbours spilled out into the street, some still in nightclothes and some carrying possessions in case the fire spread. After two hours the fire brigade contained the fire, though there was substantial damage to the upper part. The newspaper report added: ‘the curious spectacle was seen of tables and chairs floating about in the basement.’In 1914, a group of Roman Catholics met at the school to appoint a committee to challenge the recent decision by the Edinburgh School Board to refuse to grant free books to children attending Roman Catholic schools. Edinburgh had been the only Scottish council to do so and after pressure, the decision was over-turned.

Around 1935, the school was re-opened after refurbishment and renamed St Mary’s Roman Catholic School. (Photo of two of the children in the school playground - reproduced with acknowledgement to Fiona Logan and EdinPhoto.org.uk website)

In the 1970s the premises appear to have lain empty.

1983 - 1985 Royal British Legion Scotland

The Royal British Legion Scotland (Legion Scotland) helps ex-services men and women of all ages across Scotland to adapt to civilian life by providing community, friendship and practical advice, whether they left military service yesterday or 50 plus years ago. This was the Edinburgh Central Branch and Social Club.

1993 – 1998 Demarco European Art Foundation

Richard Demarco was born in 1930 into a Scottish-Italian family and studied at Edinburgh College of Art. He was appointed art master at Duns Scotus Academy in 1957 and taught there until 1967. In 1957, he married Anne Muckle, also a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art.

In the 1960s, as well as exhibiting his own art work, Demarco became involved in organising exhibitions and events. In 1963, he was a co-founder of the Traverse Theatre, and in 1966, set up the Richard Demarco Gallery. The gallery, which doubled as a performance venue during the Edinburgh Fringe, ran from 1966 to 1992, though its location moved through various addresses, including Melville Crescent, Great King Street, Canongate (Gladstone’s Court), and Blackfriars Street. Demarco also presented events during the Edinburgh Fringe in a range of spaces, including Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth. Demarco brought artists and performing groups of international reputation to Edinburgh, including a number from Eastern Europe, and assisted Scottish artists to create links across Europe. Of particular note was Demarco’s involvement with the artist Joseph Beuys.

In 1992, Demarco established the Demarco European Art Foundation, and the following year the Foundation took over the former St. Mary’s School building. There, it continued to present a diverse range international art activity, including lectures, exhibitions, events and ‘happenings’.

In 1998, the building was ear-marked for development into flats, and Demarco, supported by a wide range of artists, mounted a campaign to stop the development and enable the arts centre to continue. (The photo marks that time). Unfortunately, the campaign was unsuccessful and the Demarco European Art Foundation was forced to close, A space at the New Parliament House complex on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill, provided an office and space for the Foundation’s archive, but the event space was lost to the city.