East Melbourne, Berry Street 28, 30, 32

These three houses were built for Hirsch Fink by Michael Kelly.  The architect’s name is given simply as Beatty and has so far been unidentified. The name may refer to John Beatty who was a builder or contractor and was at the time the houses were built, mayor of Prahran. 

The advertisement inviting tenders to build the house is not enlightening, merely saying that, ‘TENDERS for Building terrace in Berry-street, East Melbourne, for Hirsch Fink, Esq. Plans. &c, at W H  Rocke & Co’s, 38 Collins-street east.’ W H Rocke & Co. were among Melbourne’s leading suppliers of furniture and homewares.  In 1884 the business had been bought by Benjamin Josman Fink, the nephew and son-in-law of Hirsch Fink, and also the renowned ‘land-boomer’. Next door, at 40 Collins Street east (the Rialto) was the firm of Fink and Best, solicitors, one of the partners of which was Theodore Fink, Benjamin’s brother. 

Hirsch Fink died in 1890 but the property remained in the hands of his executors and remained so until 1909, which was also the year of B J Fink’s death.  B J Fink had famously lost well over £1,500.000 in the land boom crash and had made a ‘secret composition’ by which he paid his creditors ½d in the £1. He had then made a hurried departure for England, where he died, but not before transferring a great deal of land into his wife’s name.  The Berry Street houses were not listed among the assets of either Hirsch or B J Fink and it possible that they had been in Hirsch’s daughter’s name from the beginning.  

The next owner from about 1910 was David William Williamson.  He had lived most of his life in Kerang where he had had a drapery business and also farming interests.  He was a lieutenant in the Victorian Mounted Rifles.  He was managing director of the Victorian Producers' Co-operative and on the Kerang Shire Council. He retired to live in Ferntree Gully. He died in 1916 and again the property was left in the hands of the executors, in this case his wife.

The property was sold around 1923 to George Frank and Coralie Eliza Wightman.  Frank was a mechanical engineer and Coralie was his second wife.  By his first wife Frank was father of Lillian (Lil) Wightman, the couturier, whose salon at the Paris End of Collins Street was for so many years a landmark.  Frank, as he was known, died in 1938 leaving the houses to Coralie who sold them soon after.  

The next owners were Florence Josephine Pembroke, who owned Nos 30 and 32, and Frank Pembroke, her husband, who owned No. 28. Florence died in 1942 and Frank in 1956.  The houses remained in their estates until at least 1974.

The houses were continuously rented with no owner living in them at any stage.