The original clock tower was built in the middle of the intersection of 17th Street and Chester Avenue, and was dedicated on April 4, 1904.

[3] The design was inspired by a clock tower that Truxtun Beale has seen while he was the U.S. ambassador to Spain.

After protest from citizens and consultation with Truxtun Beale, however, the tower was allowed to remain and the tracks were built around it, in spite of the congestion it caused to both trolley and automobile traffic.

[5] The clock tower was badly damaged in the 1952 Kern County earthquake and subsequently demolished.

The new tower, which incorporated the metalwork from the old structure, was built in front of the Kern County Museum on Chester Avenue, approximately 1.25 miles north of its original location.