The first diagrid tower was built for the All-Russia Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod in 1896, and later was bought by Yury Nechaev-Maltsov, a well-known manufacturer in the city.

On July 30, 1919, Vladimir Lenin signed a decree of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense, which demanded "to install in an extremely urgent manner a radio station equipped with the most advanced and powerful devices and machines", to ensure the security of the country and allow constant communication with other republics.

However, in the context of the Civil War and the lack of resources, the project had to be revised: the height was reduced to 148.5 metres (487 ft), the weight to 240 tons.

The tower has a diagrid structure, and its steel shell experiences minimum wind load (a significant design factor for high-rising buildings).

The tower sections are single-cavity hyperboloids of rotation made of straight beams, the ends of which rest against circular foundations.

As of early 2014, the tower faced demolition by the Russian State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting, after having been allowed to deteriorate for years despite popular calls for its restoration.