The Elisabeth home began construction in 1907 and was completed on February 26, 1908. This structure was designed by Gottlied Redecker and Willi Sander. Previously, there was a maternity home known as the Storchennest. Such a facility was urgently needed in Windhoek, so the Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft decided to raise funds. Due to the success of the campaign, the German government received a donation of the property. A daughter was born there for the first time on April 29, 1908. Additionally, during the South West Africa Campaign of the South African Union in World War I (1914–1915), it served as a shelter for the destitute German refugees. 12 669 babies had been delivered there by the time its doors were closed in 1981 as a maternity home. As a result, it was incorporated into the Namibia Polytechnic, which is now the Namibia University of Science and Technology.