The Twin Cities Art Deco Masterpiece–The Foshay Towers

The Foshay Towers, built in the halcyon days of the nineteen twenties, is considered by many to be the first true skyscraper west of the Mississippi.  While some people dispute this by pointing out that the west coast had buildings that were comparable in height at the time, there is no doubt that the building is certainly one of the most distinctive pieces of the Minneapolis skyline.

The Foshay Towers represent a classical example of the art deco style of architecture that was popular in the early years of the last century.  Modeled loosely on the Washington Monument, the Foshay towers resemble that great obelisk in its slightly inward sloping design.  The design and construction of the towers represented several technological milestones, and some of the techniques used in their construction were patented by their businessman namesake, Wilbur Foshay.

The story of the Foshay Towers took a dark turn not long after it was opened in 1929.  The opening of the towers was a grand event, and Mr. Foshay even commissioned a special march by the famous march master John Philip Sousa to commemorate the occasion.  Unfortunately Foshay, like so many others of the day, lost his fortune when the stock market crashed only a few weeks after the opening.  The check that Foshay wrote to Mr. Sousa was not honored by the bank, so Sousa withdrew the rights to the march, and it was never again heard in Foshay’s lifetime.  In 1999, several Minneapolis investors repaid the Sousa estate, so now the March can once more be