In honour of 'the great public servant' Carlo Catani, the St Kilda Fore Shore Trust and community raised funds for an everlasting edifice in the form of an Italian campanile that he had originally envisaged so many decades earlier.

According to the Prahran Telegraph, April 15, 1916, just over two years before Carlo Catani was to suddenly and unexpectedly pass away at Wyndham, the Blessington Street family home:

Cr. Barnet remarked that when Mr Catani and themselves had passed away, and were hovering over St Kilda, no doubt their spirits would see a monument there to Mr Catani in appreciation of the work he had done, not only there, but in the country.

The clock tower stands proud where once the municipal band stand had once adorned the Upper Esplanade. While Carlo had always envisioned a foreshore clock tower, though according to The Argus of May 1916: ‘on one mound on the end of Fitzroy Street, the prophetic eye of Mr Catani sees a clock-tower, four square to the winds, dominating the foreshore.’

In December 1929, it was announced that a design competition under the auspices of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects would be held with the stipulation that the cost of the tower should not exceed £2,500. The winning entry would be awarded £50, and £25 for the runner-up.

The competition received 46 entries which were assessed by Thomas Buchan, President of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. His selection, which was also accepted by St Kilda Council, was a design in the Italian Renaissance style by Geelong Architect, Norman Schefferle. Funds towards the memorial came from the Council, the St Kilda Fore Shore Committee and public donations. The completed clock tower was unveiled on August 22, 1932, on the Upper Esplanade

Upon rediscovering the original intent behind the tower’s ornate bronze grille work apertures, Catani Centenary researchers and the City of Port Phillip are currently in the process of installing digital bell chimes that will toll the hour. Silent though this campanile may have been over its near ninety years, due to an initial £145 shortfall, the St Kilda foreshore will soon echo in honour of the memory of the State’s most beloved public servant, Carlo Catani.

One day, perhaps, the tower’s crowning glory - an elegant bronze weathervane - will also find its perch upon this, one of St Kilda’s most respected domes.

Carlo Catani’s daughter, Enid, attends the unveiling where the Chairman of the Memorial Committee Frederick Michaelis said the tower 'was a worthy memorial to a worthy friend of St Kilda.'

It appears that also in attendance was Ettore Checchi, and his two sons Cyril and Leo - as well as Guido Carlo, son of the once State Astronomer and beloved weatherman, Pietro Baracchi.

At the foot of the clocktower was a bust of Carlo Catani by sculptor, Paul Montford. The bust is mounted on a sandstone plinth, with a bronze plaque which includes the words 'A Great Public Servant of Victoria 1876 - 1917'. The bust was unveiled by long-term St Kilda Councillor, Edward O'Donnell, who also had the honour of starting the clock's mechanism.

Photograph caption: August 22, 1932 dedication of the Carlo Catani Memorial Clocktower together with the unveiling of the Catani bust, by the renowned sculptor, Paul Mountford.