J. J. Owen, publisher of the San Jose Mercury, proposed lighting the whole center of town from one tall tower. Money was raised by public subscription, work began on August 11, 1881, and the tower was dedicated that December 13. It straddled the intersection of Santa Clara and Market streets: 207 feet of iron pipe topped by six arc lamps and a flagpole, 237 feet in all.
Its light was said to be visible from San Francisco, and a farmer complained that it confused his laying hens. It did not light the streets as well as hoped and was later used mostly for show, until a storm brought it down in December 1915. In 1989 the city staged a tongue-in-cheek mock trial over whether the Eiffel Tower copied it; the judge found that Paris had come up with its idea on its own. A half-size replica stands in History Park.