Informative Essay: A Brief History Of The Foshay Tower

In downtown Minneapolis, the Foshay Tower stands as an important part of Minnesotan history, as a building once distinct in its height. Located on Marquette Avenue, it was once considered the tallest building in Minneapolis, before being surpassed by skyscrapers that were constructed years later. The building was constructed largely by Wilbur Foshay, who made a name for himself first in buying water and electric utilities throughout the midwest, and later by being convicted of mail fraud. The building itself holds a unique history: one of criminal activity, inopportune timing, and of a building constructed to extreme heights. The Foshay Tower, designed by Wilbur Foshay in conjunction with Léon Eugène Arnal—the chief designer for architectural firm Magney & Tusler—was opened in August 1929. The building, modeled after the Washington Monument, is representative of art deco design which was most popular in the 1920s. As is noted in the Architectural Guide to the Twin Cities,

“The tower, clad in Indiana limestone…[rises] from a

Previously, the tallest building was the Rand Tower; the Foshay Tower loomed over it by 137 feet. The building took Foshay and Arnal three years to develop and build, but the success of the building was short-lived. Prior to the opening of the building, Foshay contacted John Philip Sousa to write and conduct a march for the building’s opening. Although the march was written, Sousa refused to have it performed. The $20,000 check, written from Foshay to Sousa, bounced as the result of the newly-arrived Great Depression. The building was opened at an extremely inopportune time, as a short two months after its completion, the United States experienced the devastating effects of the stock market crash. This was the downfall of the building, and because of the stock market crash, the building would soon go into