On the day following the fire, the Water Tower served as a guidepost by which citizens hunted through the ruins for what had once been their homes. The tower is constructed in the castellated gothic style. Its saw-toothed towers were designed by Boyington to recapture the romance of a medieval castle, the kind from which archers and crossbow men defended themselves. While its octagonal form incorporates Gothic architectural elements, its slender tower, crowned by wide windows and a balcony, has a minaret quality. The foundation of the Water Tower consists of 168 piles filled with concrete and capped with 12-inch oak timbers.
Massive stones laid in cement complete the base up to six feet below the grade.
The tower rises in five sections from the square ground-level base with battlement pillars at each of its four corners. The second and third sections are similar in design as they rise in diminishing size. The octagonal tower is centered and set back from the top of the third section. It rises 154 feet above the ground level. The standpipe was removed in 1911 when it was no longer needed.