The Tower, a remarkable union of functional engineering and pleasing aesthetics, was designed by the German engineering firm Aug. Klőnne in 1913. It was imported from Dortmund by the Johannesburg municipality, with the assistance of local engineering firm Geo. Küstner, to store and improve water pressure for the burgeoning town, and has since then become an iconic landmark on the Highlands Ridge. The blueprint of the plans for the tower were rediscovered in 2018 and presented to the City of Johannesburg by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation.