The municipal abattoir built in 1882-84 by master builder Johannes Lemcke went into operation on April 6, 1884. From 1900, a siding connected the Ludwigsbahnhof with a loading ramp at the abattoir. A separate track led from the new main station to the abattoir. The capacity of the facility was expanded train by train. In 1897/98, master builder Felix Genzmer built a meat sales hall, in 1899 a cold store and the 36 m high water tower and in 1899-1900 the butcher's shop and a small cattle market hall. In 1907, an infant dairy was built on an upper floor of the cold store.

Today, the water tower is one of the few inner-city landmarks of Wiesbaden's industrial heritage. Ice was produced here, which was essential for keeping the meat fresh. On the upper floors there was a reservoir for hot water and in the tower there were cold water tanks with a total capacity of 240^m3. The electricity for the entire system was generated by machines in the adjacent power house. The water tower and the small cattle market hall survived the bombing raids towards the end of the Second World War almost unscathed. The machine, boiler and pre-cooling house, on the other hand, was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt in a simple form. The gates of the Wiesbaden cattle and slaughterhouse closed in 1991/92. With the exception of two halls and the water tower, all the buildings were demolished.

Today, the water tower is used by the Schlachthof cultural center. The "Schlachthoframpe" deportation memorial, completed in 2010, is a reminder that in 1942 alone, around 800 people were deported from there to the large Nazi murder camps in the east because of their Jewish origins.