On 30 June 1979 it became part of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and is known as RMIT Building 13 (Emily McPherson College).

She taught classes in the day and in the evenings and ran all aspects from establishing curriculums, building maintenance and marking examinations.

[4] The building opened in 1927, and was designed by then state architect Evan Smith, in simplified Neo-Grec architecture and Beaux-Arts style.

In 1941 Ruby Gainfort was made the acting principal and she was noted for championing the skills that the college was creating while also supporting both students and teachers during wartime.

The college, on the corner of Russell Street and Victoria Street adjacent to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, was officially opened on 27 April 1927 by the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), during a royal visit to Australia by her and her husband, the Duke of York (later George VI.