The construction of the laboratory and the tower started in 1901, based on the design of the architect Stanford White. It was finished in 1902, but the tower was never completed as originally designed. In the final phase, the tower was 187 feet high, with a spherical dome having a radius of 68 feet.

According to Tesla’s design, signals from the transmission tower could be sent wirelessly through the Earth, it being a conductor, and be registered anywhere around the globe.