In front of the town hall in Lippinghausen stands a clock tower that doesn't quite fit in with the existing buildings. This tower was once the "landmark" of Lippinghausen, the last remaining structural element of the once famous Meyer-Lippinghausen margarine factory. The company's founder was Hermann Meyer, a versatile businessman. On his extensive business trips, he had learned about margarine production and recognized the importance of this artificially produced cooking fat in the future. In 1895, he began producing "the butter substitute" himself. In 1904, he achieved his breakthrough. At exhibitions in Paris, Brussels, and Antwerp, the margarine from Lippinghausen was awarded gold medals. From then on, the business boomed. The margarine factory on Bünder Straße was expanded year after year: in 1905, the "Kontorhaus" (office building) with its clock tower as a ridge turret was built; in 1906, the company received its own rail connection to the Herford narrow-gauge railway network; and in 1909, the two-story oil refinery building was expanded. The construction of the boiler house with the associated coal storage facility marked the completion of the construction work before the First World War.