The building was designed by architect Cass Gilbert and erected by general contractor Turner Construction with the help of structural engineer Gunvald Aus.

The land was originally owned by the Havemeyer family, and leased to Austin, Nichols & Company, at one point the world's largest grocery wholesaler.

[5][6] The grocery wholesalers Austin, Nichols & Company, founded in 1879, had moved their headquarters to several increasingly large spaces before erecting a ten-story building on 55-61 Hudson Street in Tribeca, Manhattan.

[5] In June 1912, Austin, Nichols & Company vice president Harry Balfe announced his intention to consolidate all operations in a single building on the Brooklyn waterfront.

The consolidated headquarters would save money and allow easier accessibility from the nearby waterfront and rail terminal, as well as from surrounding streets.

[5][8] Henry's son Horace Havemeyer commissioned architect Cass Gilbert to design the Austin, Nichols and Company Warehouse.

[11] At the time of the building's construction, the Real Estate Record and Guide magazine stated that previous warehouses had been designed "exclusively from the point of view of the engineer", so it was unusual to see the plans being prepared by such a renowned architect as Gilbert.

Gunvald Aus was hired as a structural engineer and asked to create separate plans dealing with the building's concrete and steel.

[16] Engineering News reported that "the remarkable progress made in its construction is indicative of what can be done in reinforced concrete with proper organization and supervision.

[20] The Federal Trade Commission sued Austin, Nichols & Company, alleging that the acquisition would result in a monopoly,[21] but later dropped the charges.

[34] Twenty-seven people and organizations spoke in favor of landmark designation at the LPC's public hearing on the matter, but the Kestenbaums and New York City Council member David Yassky opposed it.

[35] The Kestenbaums, who called the structure an "eyesore", wanted to demolish or significantly modify the building's exterior to create new rental apartments.

[36] In November 2005, a majority of City Council members voted to overturn the landmark designation, a rare move, as such revocations had occurred only four times in the previous fourteen years.

[39] Yassky claimed that Bloomberg had only vetoed the council's decision to "curry favor with preservationists", following the LPC's refusal to consider designating 2 Columbus Circle as a landmark the same year.

[31][40] Early the same year, shortly after the City Council vote, the Kestenbaums sold 184 Kent Avenue to Jason Halpern's JMH Development.

Halpern successfully advocated to get the structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which did not restrict the future use of the building as much as a New York City landmark status did.

[48] A 2018 lawsuit alleged that Kushner Companies imposed hazardous conditions or otherwise harassed the building's rent-regulated residents in an attempt to get these tenants to move away.

[49] Records showed that when Kushner Companies had bought the building in 2015, it had 316 rent-regulated tenants, a number that had declined to 71 when the lawsuit was filed three years later.

[18][54] The facade is divided into numerous architectural bays, which generally contain groupings of three narrow, slightly recessed windows on each floor.

While the initial proposals featured three different variants of window fenestration, the final plans simplified the design to the extent that the facades were all nearly identical.

[56] Upon its completion, the Austin, Nichols and Company Warehouse included four tracks with 68 freight cars, a freight-loading system with several large derricks, and a telegraph service to instantly duplicate orders that were made in the Manhattan sales building.

[59] In September 1914, Austin, Nichols & Company vice president Balfe said "The work of the architects, contractors and all connected with it, has in our opinion simply been wonderful.

"[62] Likewise, an anonymous writer in the Engineering News stated in November 1914 that the warehouse is "a good example of a modern reinforced-concrete building of the concrete type" and that Gilbert's design was "somewhat unique".

[15] When the plant was finished in March 1915, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote a sub-headline declaring that the building was a "Model of Modern Construction and Efficiency".

[66] The Brooklyn Army Terminal was also built by Turner Construction and involved more complex infrastructure, including its own rail yard.

[67] The later Williams Warehouse, built for a competitor of Austin, Nichols & Company, contained its own direct rail connection.