306 Bowery

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3.5-story Federal-style residential building completed in about 1820. The building has a peaked roof with two gabled dormers, and was built as an investment property for tobacco magnate George Lorillard. The Lorillards sold the house in 1841; by 1851, much of the building was occupied by low-end retail businesses, such as Mrs. Adele Saunders' ornamental hair shop and Mrs. Eckerson's millinery shop. The building's first story was raised and a storefront was installed at ground level in 1876 by architect A.J. Bogart. The show windows are topped by a wide, arching metal lintel. The three bays of windows on the red brick facade have sandstone sills and lintels, and there is a black metal fire escape.

The building was acquired in 1899 by Michael Adrian, president of the German Exchange Bank. In 1905, two Austrian-immigrant families, with sixteen children and two boarders between them, occupied the building. By 1915, commercial uses had taken over the upper floors, although the building remained legally classified as a one-family dwelling and store. During those years, the building was mostly occupied by a plethora of small, short-lived businesses.

In 1966, the upper floors were converted to artists' lofts, reflecting the fall-off in demand for manufacturing space and the decline in commercial rents. The actor Willem Dafoe rented space here around 1980.