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Foshay Tower

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A Historic Stay and Visit at The W Hotel & Foshay Tower

At 447 feet the Foshay Tower houses a luxury hotel with a storied past. Featuring a stylish design, a museum devoted to the tower's unique construction and its outlandish creator and a rooftop deck with a 360-degree view over Minneapolis, this is not your typical skyscraper.

Part Greek fable, part Citizen Kane - the story of Wilbur Foshay paints a picture of the rise and fall of a powerful tycoon in the twilight of the Roaring ‘20s. But the tale doesn’t end with the collapse of his utilities empire: The Foshay Tower became a beloved city landmark – locals love to tell stories of gangsters and rock stars seen in its legendary halls.

“It’s unique. Not everyone knows the whole story, even if they grew up here,” says Trina Anthony, Director of Sales and Marketing for the W Hotel. The stylish hospitality giant took over management of the 32-story Art Deco building after it was restored by Twin Cities real estate magnate Ralph Burnet in 2008.

Monumental History

A former art student fascinated by the design of the Washington Monument, Wilbur Foshay proposed building a similar tribute in Minneapolis to himself and his success, but as an office building that would dominate the Midwest skyline. So in 1927 he hired Leon Arnal for the job, a World War I hero and chief architect for Minneapolis firm Magney and Tusler.

Mathematical and monolithic, the skeleton of the building was made of reinforced steel and concrete. Continuous horizontal bands of windows allowed in patterned ribbons of light. Elaborately embellished doorways with cathedral style light fixtures, carved chevrons – and Foshay’s name carved in 10-foot-high letters on all four sides of the limestone pyramid embraced many of the features of progressive Art Deco design.

Although the base of the skyscraper was slated to be offices for the city’s top businesses, the 27th and 28th floors were just for Foshay himself. Arnal designed lavish private library and a three-bedroom, three-bath suite for the millionaire, with fireplaces, Italian and French marble walls, African Teakwood and Mahogany and glass paneled ceilings. The bathrooms featured gold fixtures.

It took two years to build, three days and $125 thousand to celebrate the Foshay Tower’s Grand Opening on Labor Day weekend of 1929. Just weeks after the opening celebration, the stock market crashed and Foshay couldn’t pay the builders. The payroll bounced. His Ponzi scheme backfired. He had advertised and sold overvalued stock using the federal postal service. Penniless, Foshay was tried on criminal mail fraud charges and sent to Leavenworth prison. His company folded, and the tower went up for sale.

Foshay never got a chance to use his Shangri-La; unable to pay the people who built his dream, they never completed the bedroom suite on the 28th floor. The stairs in the library metaphorically became a staircase to nowhere – an epitaph on Wilbur Foshay’s quest to own the ‘Best Address in the Midwest.'

A New Era: The Glamour is Back

The Foshay changed business owners several times throughout the years. A number of today’s major corporations were also tenants at the Foshay: Colgate toothpaste was just one of the products the Palmolive Peet Company made while renting space on the 11th floor. C & H Sugar was right down the hall. Campbell Cereal was just one floor above – the Minnesota food maker was known across the country for its one product – Malt O Meal. The “Smooth and Creamy” breakfast cereal was sold in 70% of US supermarkets. And giant General Motors kept executive suites for its executives selling Oldsmobile, Pontiacs and Buicks in the Twin Cities.

In the late 1970s, while other downtown buildings of the era were being raised, the Heritage Preservation Commission had the Foshay designated a local landmark by the National Register of Historic Places. They knew the building’s gilded age and significant design would not only appeal to certain businesses who loved its character. It also protected the 162,000 sq. foot Art Deco building from ever being altered or destroyed.

Real estate giant Ralph Burnet bought the Foshay in 2006 for $16 million dollars, then pumped five times that amount into plans to give the Foshay a new, exciting chapter. A flamboyant businessman and internationally known art collector, Burnet and his group of investors made the decision to turn the landmark into one of the hottest hotels in the city.

The Living Room: Hotel Lobby Bar

In the lobby, interior designers were brought in to blend the old with the new: Italian neon bathes the Foshay’s dramatic 1930s hallway in a warm pink glow. High back leather smoking chairs and 10-foot palms overlook the shower of cascading blue glass beads in the hotel’s posh oval lounge area, known as The Living Room. This is where Prince’s favorite DJ, Lenka Paris, can sometimes be heard commanding the beat while locals and visitors mingle at the pure white marble top bar with artisan cocktails.

Manny’s Steakhouse

It all leads to a five-panel green door with a heavy brass steer knocker – Manny’s Steakhouse, one of the greatest steakhouses in the world. A Twin Cities’ dining institution, guests are warned not to fill up before making reservations: Manny’s steaks are a James Beard award-winning experience: The “small” filet mignon (8 oz.) with loaded mashed potatoes are signature dishes. Leave room for dessert – Manny’s Death by Chocolate is a delicious way to go, piled high with dark chocolate, mousse, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Prohibition Bar

Late night drinks in comfort are waiting on the 27th and 28th floors in Wilbur Foshay’s study. Known as the Prohibition Bar, Foshay’s elaborate library is an intimate space still featuring its original wood panel bookshelves, fireplace and curved office doors. Leather ottomans and arced modern floor lamps surround lacquered black cocktail tables that boast beautiful views of the city. The stairwells lead to nowhere – designed to connect to Foshay’s unfinished living quarters and four premier suites.

Keys at the Foshay

The Art Deco interior spills over to another food experience within the the building. Located on the ground floor, Keys at the Foshay brings the family-friendly atmosphere. It is considered a breakfast favorite with it's hearty and home-style meals.

Hotel Rooms

Overnight at the Foshay offers a romantic, sophisticated stay. Each of the 230 rooms are a collage of Art Deco Suites with modern twists. Guests are invited to linger in their plush pillow top bed in one of the hotel’s spectacular suites like the “Extreme Wow”, featuring a stylish living room, dining area and bar and all of downtown outside their six-foot picture windows.

Visiting The Foshay Museum & Observation Deck

Respectful stewards of the tower’s legacy, a museum honoring its visionary sits atop of the 447-foot wonder.

But the trip into the building’s past starts in the arcade lobby, resplendent with bronze wrought iron grillwork and rose-colored Italian marble walls. Tiered glass chandeliers hang from recessed light fixtures. Gilded moldings wrap each corner of the high white ceilings.

The brass and terrazzo geometric walkway leads to an elevator with signature doors featuring swirling metal latticework of the 1920s skyscraper. Visitors are whisked from the lobby up 30 stories to the 1,500 sq. ft exhibition room where more than 100 artifacts reveal Foshay’s spare-no-expense attitude towards his paragon of excellence: elaborate gold plumbing and lighting fixtures, ornate clocks. A collection of brass office keys. Construction pictures. Foshay’s silk top hat and pictures from the Opening Celebration. Postcards featuring the historic landmark. Preliminary sketches made of the Foshay by Leon Arnal. Even the sheet music from Sousa’s Foshay March is on display. Visitors can touch the digital displays to see the Foshay’s past come to life with vintage photos, stories of Wilbur Foshay and fascinating details on the transformation of the landmark tower into a contemporary hotel.

A staircase leads out from the museum to the Observation Deck for an open-air, 360-degree view of Minneapolis. Telescopes give a breathtaking view of the city’s lakes and neighborhoods, as well as the new skyscrapers that now tower the once-towering Foshay. More than 6,000 people visit the museum every year, five days a week according to Anthony. It’s a $10 dollar trip (complimentary to hotel guests) down memory lane for some, she says. Others get a look at how much the city has changed through the years. But she says it’s really an opportunity to understand why The Foshay is such an important part of the city’s collective identity. “After all these years, there’s a connectiveness of the tower to the community,” says Anthony. “It’s its own architectural wonder.” The Museum and observation deck are open Thursday-Monday, 11am-5pm. (Observation Deck Winter hours are subject to the weather. Please call ahead).

Also note The Observation Deck can only be reached by climbing two flights of stairs.

In the Heart of It All

The Foshay Tower adds character and luxury to the Minneapolis skyline. It stands in the middle of downtown Minneapolis which puts it just a few blocks away from the METRO Light Rail line and in close proximity to many Minneapolis attractions. If you stay at this extravagant hotel you'll be close to plenty of action whether it's a theatre shows, sporting events or live music and concerts. Or if you're nearby stop in to learn about the city's history and see downtown from a whole new perspective.

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Foshay Tower

Foshay Tower (now a hotel called The W Minneapolis-The Foshay) 821-37 Marquette Avenue

The Foshay Tower, constructed in 1929, is an iconic symbol of economic development in Minneapolis at the height of the roaring twenties. Until 1973, the building’s thirty-two story tower was the tallest skyscraper between Chicago and the West Coast; its height and extravagant building materials represent the wealth of W. B. Foshay Companies.

The man responsible was Wilbur Burton Foshay. A native of New York, Foshay studied electricity, mechanics, and engineering at Cooper Institute. He came to Minneapolis in 1915 to work for electric light and telephone poles manufacturer Paige and Hill. Soon, he’d purchase the Ponca Electric Company of Nebraska and in 1917 created W. B. Foshay Company in Minneapolis – a public utilities holding company – and issued 500 shares of common stock worth $50,000.

At the time, public utilities were booming in the United States. Factories were increasing use to keep up with public demand; streets lights were being installed in downtowns for the first time to provide light; and residents living in the suburbs wanted access to the cities. Wilbur continued to invest and grow his empire by purchasing utility companies all over the country. In just eleven years, the W. B. Foshay Company had expanded to five countries and thrity states.

In 1928, Foshay commissioned Minneapolis architectural firm Magney and Tusler to design the company’s new headquarters. Foshay recalled a childhood memory of visiting the Washington Monument with his father. He stood in awe of the obelisk, and told his father he would erect a building like it one day. As a symbol of his personal success, Foshay requested his building be modeled after the monument. Designed by French architect Leon Arnal, who was educated at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in France, the building’s obelisk structure was an engineering feat at the time of its construction. At ground level, the tower is 81 feet by 87 feet, and at the top it measure 59 feet by 65 feet.

The building is Art Deco in style and the façade is Indiana limestone. On each side of the top of the tower, the word “FOSHAY” shines proudly in 10-foot-tall letters. It is the only rooftop sign in downtown Minneapolis. Two-story buildings constructed in phases between 1920 and 1928 surround the base of the tower and serve as a pedestal.

Wilbur Foshay held three days of dedication events in honor of the building over Labor Day weekend in 1929, and all of Minneapolis’s elite were in attendance. Unfortunately, just two months later the roaring twenties were no longer. The stock market crash in October 1929 put W. B. Foshay Companies in bankruptcy. In 1931, the Department of Justice indicted Wilbur Foshay for mail fraud. Foshay and his business partner, Henry H. Henley, were tried in a highly publicized court case. In May 1934, both Foshay and Henley were convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to serve fifteen years in Leavenworth Prison. President Harry S. Truman pardoned the pair ten years later.

The Foshay Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its significance in architecture and engineering. In 2006-2008, it was renovated and reopened as a 230-room hotel, the W Minneapolis-The Foshay.

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Foshay Museum And Observation Deck

Review Highlights

“ I really enjoyed this tiny museum located at the tippy-top of the fabulous Foshay Tower (now owned by the W hotel people). ” in 9 reviews

“ Got elevator key and was told to use the elevator to go up to the 30th floor , where the museum was. ” in 9 reviews

“ This was after some embarrassment of being in the elevator and going nowhere except floors for the hotel guests! ” in 10 reviews

Location & Hours

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821 S Marquette Ave

Minneapolis, MN 55402

Downtown Minneapolis

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About the business.

Visit the Foshay Tower Museum and Observation Deck for spectacular open air views and a remarkable collection of artifacts and documents recounting the history of Foshay Tower and Wilbur Foshay. The Foshay Tower was the first skyscraper built in the state of Minnesota and remained the tallest building in Minneapolis from 1929-1971. The Foshay Tower is significant to Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota not only as a unique example of architectural design and engineering, but as a prominent reminder of the taste and expression of "conspicuous consumption" which was felt throughout the United States during the economic boom years of the 1920s. …

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Does anyone know the times? Yelp says till 5pm but trip advisor says 9pm. Thanks

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Review from 7/2023 First, it is hard to find out where to go. We thought we got in the elevator and went to the 30th floor. Yeah, no, that is not correct! You need to go to the hotel front desk and pay for the tour, and you will receive a key card that will take you up. This was after some embarrassment of being in the elevator and going nowhere except floors for the hotel guests! This is well worth it! History that I was not aware of and artifacts on the building as well as some history of the builder....drama and it is all documented in a hidden corner. Hmm, wonder why? Guess you have to visit to see the details. Room keys from long ago and older items used in the hotel are neat to look at. The climb to the top is not very long, but it is worth it. The views are amazing, and the day was perfect.

See all photos from Christie L. for Foshay Museum And Observation Deck

It was beautiful up to! $15 for adults and the children got in free. It's a 41 second elevator ride up to the 30th floor. We went on a clear 70 degree day and the views were gorgeous. Although I was extremely terrified and my legs were noodles, it's something that I am glad I experienced.

We went into the elevator and pressed the button for the 30th floor. Nothing happened. So, we went to the registration counter of the W Hotel. The staff person told us that the observation deck was not open due to repairs and they did not know when or if it would open again. However, their website indicates that the observation deck IS open - so this was a major disappointment having driven over 45 miles to walk on the observation deck. We were told that the museum was open, and that we could go with the other people on the elevator who also were headed to the museum. By the time we got there, the elevator doors had closed. So, we waited for the next one. So, we tried pressing the button again for the 30th floor. Nothing happened. We went back to the registration desk and the staff person gave us the plastic card we needed to access the floor. Why he didn't give it to us initially is beyond me. At any rate, we went up to the 30th floor and were shocked that when the elevator doors opened that it was completely dark and had no lighting. The people who had gone on the elevator before us said that they wanted to go back down because it was too dark and scary. We wanted to at least see something about the Foshay Tower, so we each used our cell phone flashlights to see the displays. The staff at the W did not mention that there was no lighting or light switches that we (nor could the previous guests) could find. The displays had interesting information that we didn't know about those involved with the construction of it or the court proceedings. It would have been substantially better had the lights been on so we could adequately see and read the displays.

I have visited this hidden gems a few times over the years. I liked that it's in a hotel. The museum as some history and I love the 360 degree deck. It's free! You will have to park on the street or in the hotel and pay for parking. I will always bring my guests here if I'm in town to show them the buildings. You can even see St. Paul's capitol building!

If you enjoy doing touristy things... put this museum & observation deck on your list. If you have about 30 minutes to kill, check it out. Please note, of the limited hours. Enter the W Foshay Hotel entrance then proceed to check in with hotel's guest service agent. Luckily, there wasn't a line so I able to pay the minimal fee then headed to the elevator to the museum. The museum is limited but has a lot of mementos of the era. The take the stairs tot he observation deck. The deck is open (not enclosed) with incredible views of the city on all four sides of the building. I'm glad I had checked it out and I would recommend this museum/ observation deck.

See all photos from Ken O. for Foshay Museum And Observation Deck

I had a great time observing the city from the 30th floor! The building is now a hotel so see someone at the front desk (super friendly staff!) and ask about the observation floor. It's $10 per person. They will give you a key card to scan in the elevator and access the 30th floor. Everything is self guided, so once you get to the 30th floor you can walk around the museum and then walk up a flight of stairs (at this point it is not wheelchair accessible) to reach the observation deck. The mini museum wasn't too exciting in my opinion but there are a few neat items to view. This place must be a hidden gem of the city because on a nice Friday afternoon no one else was up there! I had the whole observation deck to myself :)

See all photos from Holly F. for Foshay Museum And Observation Deck

A simple experience, but it gives you a nice chance to check out the Minneapolis skyline for a relatively low price. I was very pleased at how relaxed the experience was. You simply purchase your tickets and are given an elevator pass to get up to the top floor. Once there you have a chance to learn a bit about the history of the man and the company that founded the tower. Once you venture outside you have an opportunity to see the city from all four directions. We were visiting on a day when things weren't too crowded, but the passageways are somewhat narrow and this might mean it's a bit cramped on a busier day.

One of the views

Not open every day until 9:00 pm like it says. Showed up only to be told it's only open on the weekend. Doesn't do me any good since I'm only here from the PNW for a few days. Would give it ZERO if I could!

Up, up and away I super love getting high High elevation Trapped in a rainstorm in the Hideaway Burger Bar, so write a Yelp review. I've been to Willis, I've been to the World Trade Center. Not as good as either of those. Not as good as IDS would be, but good as it gets in Minneapolis. The oldest skyscraper in town is all but shut down except for the tourism. Once the tallest in all of the Midwest. Still worth a shot. Better than a great day in Omaha. 10 bucks to the top for a birdcage view. Pay at the W Hotel desk on floor level. Nice view of downtown Minneapolis between the bars. You will feel extremely enclosed. Not for the claustrophobic. Tight quarters. Wraparound walk with great views of all the Minny Apple. All shots taken at the risk of my cell phone falling onto the streets below.

See all photos from John O. for Foshay Museum And Observation Deck

A great view in the downtown area. Worth a look if you're looking to kill 20-30 minutes. Ideal place to share the view with someone special on this observational deck.

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Atop the Foshay Tower and Observation Deck

Whenever you visit Minneapolis, a visit to the Foshay Museum and Observation Deck is a must. The Foshay Tower has been an iconic part of the downtown skyline since it was constructed in 1929 – you can’t miss it. And at the very top of the 32-story structure, a museum and observation deck stay open Thursday through Sunday year round (weather permitting).

foshay_tower_observation_deck_minneapolis_panorama

This Minneapolis gem is a prefect spot to take friends and family when they come to visit, or if you’re looking for a special night out. The observation deck is perfectly positioned to give you breathtaking views of the city from multiple directions. The concrete barrier provides safety; it’s also caged, so when taking pictures through it, don’t drop your camera!

foshay_tower_observation_deck_minneapolis

On the inside, the quaint museum tell you the story of the building’s remarkable history through photographs and multimedia presentations. Spend some time learning about how it became the first skyscraper built in the state of Minnesota. The Foshay Tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its significance in architectural design and engineering.

Know Before You Go

1. Foshay Tower is now the W Hotel so you have to walk up to the hotel’s front desk to purchase tickets. Ticket are $10 per adult, $6 kids 4-14. Children 3 and under are free.

2. The front desk staff will give you an elevator key card and will direct you to the correct elevator. Insert the key card into the special slot and it will grant you access to the 30th floor.

3. Once you get up to the 30th floor you walk right into the museum.

4. When you're ready, find the short flight of stairs up to the observation deck, go through a small door and there you are.

5. Enjoy the view.

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