Charles Butler gave notice of his intention to build on three dates in 1877. The first was 9 February 1877 for six 2 storey houses, the second was 24 April for four houses and lastly 31 May for another six houses.

Winston Burchett, local historian, says of Charles Butler, that he was 'an important Builder, who built part of the Methodist Ladies College, The Victoria Coffee Palace (Victoria Hotel) and The Grand Coffee Palace (Windsor Hotel)'.

The houses were all completed and tenanted by December 1877 when C.J. & T. Ham advertised a preliminary notice of their forthcoming sale. A later ad gives the auction date as 21 January 1878. The houses were at that time bringing in nearly £2000 per year in rent.

The houses when sold went to individual buyers, only two were owner/occupiers. Patrick Sheehan, merchant, bought No. 110 and he lived there until his death in 1894 when the house was valued at £982.16.00; his trustees were still in possession in 1900. The other owner/occupier was Thomas Duggan, publican, who bought No. 104 and lived there until c.1890.

Joseph Kaufman owned and occupied No. 82 c.1885-c.1890. His brother Jacob B Kaufman owned and occupied No. 100 over a similar period. Otherwise the houses were bought as investments by non-resident owners.

The most notable of these was John Beswicke, architect, who is possibly best known for designing twelve houses in Harcourt Street, Hawthorn, for his family and friends. He also designed a number of town halls including Hawthorn and Malvern. He owned Nos. 102 and 108. No. 108 was a hive of activitiy in 1878 when the Rev. Alex. Waters Sinclair, University of Edinburgh, Head Master, advertised that pupils of his Preparatory School for Young Gentlemen were to reassemble on 24 January. At the same time Mrs. Lupton was resuming tuition of Harp, Piano and Guitar; and George Lupton, Professor of Elocution, was advertising classes to cure Stammering, Lisping, Faulty Articulation and Inability to Speak at Will (Organic defect excepted). Mrs. Eliza Beswicke owned the two houses at her death in 1899 when they were valued at £750 each.

Another owner of interest was William Shiels, barrister and son of William Shiels and his wife, Elizabeth (nee Burrell) who owned the James Watt Hotel in Spencer Street. He owned No. 106 until his death in 1924 when it was valued at £1400. He also owned 88 from c.1885 but it passed to his mother, Elizabeth, shortly before her death in 1904.

Early tenants at No. 94 were Mrs. Fenton and her children. One of her daughters, Ada, then a student at Ormiston Ladies College in Grey Street, after her marriage went on to become Australia's first woman dentist as Ada Tovell. No. 84 sold in 1980 for $130,000