McMaster Street takes its name after the builder and developer John McMaster. According to information supplied in an email to this project by his great grandson Jim, John McMaster was born in 1857 and died in 1932. In 1878 John McMaster established the family building company "John McMaster & Sons". The company built McMaster and Lendrick Streets for the Artisan Workers at Harland & Wolff. The terraced parlour houses in these streets include some fine examples of polychrome brickwork.
"On application of the owners, your Committee have named a new street off Falls road ‘Fallswater street’, and two new streets off Newtownards road ‘McMaster street’ and ‘Lendrick street’. [Owner: John McMaster (the Rev J. J. Major or Mayor consenting) two new streets named: McMaster Street and Lendrick Street. Minutes, TIC, 27th October 1897]. ” Minutes, Town Improvement Committee, 27 October 1897.
According to the Historic Building Details within the Department of Communities, McMaster Street was being built from 1896 onwards. “McMaster Street comes near the end of that phase, and was designed in 1898 and 1899 by John Frazer & Sons for John McMaster”.