Designed by architect George S. Mayer of Chicago, Illinois, the Fresno Water Tower was completed in November 1894, replacing two wooden tanks erected on this site in 1887. The tower stands 100 feet high with a tank capacity of 250,000 gallons. Modeled after the Chicago Water Tower of 1867, this facility was designed to house the Fresno City Library on the 2nd and 3rd levels. Its brick walls are of double construction, from one to two feet thick, with a space of three feet between them, and it is significant in the history of public water supply.