“The Beswick Building of eight 3 storey shops was built in Brunswick St by 1888-89 for the Australian Property and Investment Co. Ltd. The architect was John Beswick and the builder was Ralph Besant. Three storey frontages face the street, and there are two storey wings at the rear of each shop. The asymmetric design features a central tower with lunettes, and a corner turret topped by a lantern. In the 1950’s most of the occupants were clothing manufacturers. Today the tenants above the shops are from the ‘creative industries’.” (Mike Moore, FHS Newsletter – Nov 2021)
Morris Silverman and his family of 13 children were located at 252 between 1890-1895.
The Black Cat
“The Black Cat Cafe, created by Henry Maas with Toni and Brian Edwards, opened on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in 1982. Its European-style coffee, retro furniture and bric-a-brac defined Melbourne cafe culture for decades to come and created a space for Melbourne’s poets, artists, philosophers and musicians to congregate over a short black or a Bodgies’ Blood (ice-cream spider). Maas went on to open the Night Cat nightclub on Johnston st.” Yarra Past Port – added by 306Five, Oct 2018
