Under Robert W. de Forest, who ran the Hackensack Water Company for 46 years beginning in 1881, the company constructed new facilities and moved its headquarters to Weehawken in Hudson County, setting up offices in a brick water tower,[4] part of the present complex.

The headquarters' most distinguishing feature, the red brick Weehawken Water Tower, was built in 1883 on what is now Park Avenue, on the border of Union City.

[5][6] The tower was connected to Reservoir No.1 atop the Hudson Palisades to which water was pumped from the Hackensack River,[7] about 14 miles away.

[8] The "Red Tower" is listed on the Federal Maritime Chart as a landmark for ships heading south on the Hudson River to let them know that they are approaching New York Harbor.

New steel supports and wood floors were installed in the interior, and space was left to accommodate an elevator and fire staircase.

[13] In September 2014, Justin Casquejo, a thrill-seeking teenage free solo climber and stunt performer hung from the tower, and was charged with defiant trespassing and resisting arrest.

2 at the southern end of the township began circa 1893 to serve the Heights section of Weehawken, surrounding Union City and West Hoboken.

[17] The Trust for Public Land, which appraised the site, arranged to postpone the sale of the reservoir until the end of the year.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection gave the township a $2 million grant in Green Acres funding.

Since 2007 it has preserved the open reservoir for the public use as a wild life management area adjacent to Pershing Field.