The Tobacco Warehouse, originally built by the Lorillard family, sits on the upland of Empire-Fulton Ferry Park, just north of the Brooklyn Bridge, and just south of the Empire Stores. Together, these landmark 19th century warehouses are vivid reminders of the shipping activity that once defined the downtown Brooklyn waterfront.

Constructed in the 1870s as a tobacco customs inspection center, and saved from demolition in 1998, the roofless rooms of the Tobacco Warehouse provide one of the most compelling public spaces in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation repaired and stabilized the Warehouse in 2002.

The total size of the Warehouse is approximately 25,000 square feet, offering an 18,000 square-foot, column-free footprint.