Built around 1830 on a small French Quarter lot, this modest building has quietly collected nearly two centuries of New Orleans stories. Early records show that it was once owned by a free woman of color, offering a glimpse into the remarkably diverse and complicated world of 19th-century New Orleans. In a later chapter, the building became a neighborhood eatery, remembered by the faded “Oyster Loaf” sign that could still be seen on one of its exterior columns. Then, in 1994, musician Lenny Kravitz purchased the weathered property and transformed the interior into his own private artistic retreat, while leaving much of the humble, timeworn exterior intact. From an early French Quarter home to a neighborhood gathering place and eventually an artist’s sanctuary, the building has continued to change with the city while holding onto the character of its past.