La Salle College (1st generation) [1932-1978]

We've been sent a photo of the old college buildings that Booth would have seen (the domed building in the photo).

The college website notes that the old building is long gone, but the cross from the top of the dome can still be seen today.

Notes from Mark Huang:

David, the research into the school has largely been made available through a book published by the La Salle College Old Boys' Association.  The book covers the history of the high school in celebration of its 75th anniversary (1932-2007). 

The school began as a branch school of St Joseph's College (est. 1875) on the Island, started on Chatham Road (1917), Tsim Sha Tsui, and then eventually the La Salle Brothers bought a plot in New Kowloon (ie. immediately north of Bouondary Street) in 1928, and completed building the largest boys school of HK at the time in 1932, the school building graced by a large dome.

Anyone interested in the the development of this De La Salle School in HK, side by side with the growth of Kowloon may find this book interesting.  The book is also rich in old photos.

A few images of the book can be previewed here.  http://www.zipot.com.hk/demo/lscoba0712_3/default1.html 

You may contact the La Salle College Old Boys Association office for details of the book at 2336-2985.   The book is also available in several public libaries, including City Hall, the main library in Causeway Bay and Kowloon Central Library, among others.  The title of the book is "Sons of La Salle Everyone" - A History of La Salle College and Primary School, 1932-2007" and I am the author.

The school has many interesting hits by world events, one being Hitler's aggression against Poland hit the school.  See article: http://www.lscoba.com/news/articles/lsc_hist-19390903.html

Another chapter of the school (and the book)  is that the school was taken over by the British Army between 1949 and 1959 as a military hospital.   See article: http://www.lscoba.com/news/articles/perth_street_saga.html  By the way, it was during this time that Kung Fu star Bruce Lee studied in La Salle from 1951 to 1956.

The old school building was sadly demolished in 1978, and a third of the 10 acre hill the school occupied was exchanged for a state-of-the-art building, offered to the school by Li Ka Shing. 

Photos of the old school can be found here:  http://www.lscoba.com/photo.html?g2_itemId=8442

I would be happy to get in touch with anyone interested in this subject, or who has some information to share.  Please contact me thorugh the Association Administrator at 2336-2985.

Regards
Mark

The cross of the dome is still visible today. It is now put at the left corner of the racecourse in La Salle College. Next to the cross are also items from the old school building, but I'm not quite sure where they were before.