of the road to where St Mary's now stands. Fletcher had purchased additional lands (future St Mary's lands) presumably to provide land for sporting activities, however, the depression of the 1890s led to the closure of his college and the sale of Lots 26 - 35 to Frank Grimley. When the Sisters made their purchase the land had largely been cleared and was characterised by open paddock with the exception of a number of mature eucalypts and "The Rocks". The following year on 24 June 1908, an additional were purchased from Frank Grimley adding orchards and vegetable gardens to an already spacious landscape. The land on which St Mary's College and Convent were to stand was first described in 1814 by George William Evans, Surveyor. The land purchased by the Sisters is associated with John Fletcher M.A. The foundation stone for the college and convent was laid by Cardinal Moran on 12 April 1909. At the foundation ceremony Cardinal Moran proposed that the college would be a monument to the district and further noted that "It would be difficult to find, in the many beautiful spots which Australia presents, anything which nature has lavished such an abundance of beautiful sights as the surroundings of Katoomba". The local community were encouraged to take a personal interest in the college which "not only will be an ornament to the town, but a living monument to that higher and better education without which no community could be considered progressive." The building of Mount St Mary's Ladies' College, Katoomba, was completed with remarkable speed with boarding pupils being accepted by February, 1910. The original building was three floor levels, constructed of rendered brick with painted corrugated iron roof sheeting, and featuring decorative stucco, a tower housing the main staircase, and recessed colonnaded balconies at the first and second floor levels. Also included were small wings on both the eastern and western sides, as well as a Chapel on the western side. The building was designed by the architectural firm Nangle and Nurzey. The Architect James Nangle was responsible for the design of a number of projects for the Catholic Church, including the Sacred Heart Church, Darlinghurst, St Columba's Seminary, Springwood, and St Mary's Cathedral Girls School. With the establishment of the college the grounds were gradually developed to form a landscape complementary to the style and character of the building. This included low stone