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Tickets & prices Foshay Tower Museum & Observation Deck

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Admission prices & discounts for tickets to Foshay Tower Museum & Observation Deck in Minneapolis

The following overview lists the admission prices and various discounts and discount codes for a visit to Foshay Tower Museum & Observation Deck in Minneapolis . All prices are displayed per age group or reduced rate group. You can also directly book your discounted online ticket for the Foshay Tower Museum & Observation Deck here, if available, or make a reservation to reserve a timeslot if applicable.

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Ages 12 and under are free. Please note the museum is wheelchair accessible, but there is a set of stairs to reach the observation deck.

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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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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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StarTribune

Foshay tower observation deck touts panoramic views of minneapolis year-round.

The Foshay Tower may be one of the most iconic buildings in downtown Minneapolis, but few people may know that they can score a bird's-eye view from the top.

More than 400 feet above the city streets, an observation deck on the city's first skyscraper offers panoramic views year-round. The Art Deco landmark — which was modeled after the Washington Monument and was the city's tallest office building for more than four decades — is unique for its design and dramatic history that traces the rise and fall of a flashy millionaire in the 1920s.

On a clear day, you can see for more than 30 miles, including the St. Paul skyline and a sliver of the Mississippi River as it weaves through the city. A plaque boasts that it's one of a half-dozen open air observation decks in the U.S.

"It's a discovery to the city," said Trina Anthony, marketing director of the W Minneapolis hotel that opened in the Foshay in 2008. "No matter the seasons, there's always something to look at."

Inside, a museum displays the history of the 32-story tower. In 1915, New Yorker Wilbur Foshay moved to Minneapolis, in debt from the collapse of his first venture, according to records. Three years later, he launched W.B. Foshay Co., which quickly brought him from rags to riches as the company expanded within a decade to a $22 million public utilities empire in 30 states.

Foshay needed a headquarters for his company and wanted to pay tribute to the nation's first president after a trip to Washington, D.C., left him wowed by the Washington Monument. At 9th Street and Marquette Avenue, he set out to build a close replica of the historic building, which would be the "crowning achievement" of his company, he told the Minneapolis Journal in 1928.

"It will be more than an office building," he said. "It will be a monument to American business, to Minneapolis and the prosperous northwest." An ad in the Minneapolis Tribune that year proclaimed it was the "beginning of the new skyline of a still greater city to come."

For more than two years, crews built the 447-foot-tall tapered tower, faced with Indiana limestone. It sported high-speed elevators etched with the Foshay family crest, 750 window bays and a "motor park." Foshay spared no expense for the $3.7 million project (about $64 million today), decking his office in African mahogany with gold-plated knobs while other areas flaunted Italian marble and gold- and silver-plated ceilings. At the top, cut in stone, was his name in lights 10 feet high.

Foshay, a skillful promoter, drummed up publicity every step of the way. When the work wrapped up Aug. 30, 1929, he threw an elaborate three-day party that would have cost about $2 million today, inviting 25,000 people and hiring famed composer John Philip Sousa to write a march. Dignitaries from around the world arrived and the festivities concluded with fireworks and a parade on Nicollet Avenue.

Foshay — whose name was derived from the French word for "broke" — planned to live at the obelisk tower, too. But two months later, the stock market crashed. At 47, Foshay lost his fortune — and his tower.

Soon after, Foshay was charged with federal mail fraud for a pyramid scheme, advertising and selling overvalued company stock. He served three years of a 15-year sentence, until President Franklin Roosevelt commuted it.

Minneapolis kept growing and the Foshay Tower was surpassed as the city's tallest building by the IDS Tower in the 1970s. The Foshay still cemented itself in the history books; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The Minnesota Historical Society wrote in its nomination form that the building "remained not only as a distinctive architectural statement, but as a grandiose promotion stunt for not only Foshay's utilities companies, but for the city of Minneapolis."

Today, about 10,000 people a year visit the Foshay's caged observation deck — a fraction of the 850,000 visitors who trek to Minnehaha Falls or the estimated 40 million visitors drawn to the Mall of America each year.

It's become a popular Instagram spot and has hosted everything from fashion shoots to the Harlem Globetrotters and even a "Sleepless in Seattle"-inspired marriage proposal.

"His vision was this should always be open to the public," Anthony said. "We've seen a dramatic increase in interest in the last two years."

On a sunny afternoon, visitors in Vikings sweatshirts scanned the horizon with telescopes. Below, cars zigzagged on streets like miniature toys as bells chimed. A search on TikTok for hidden gems in Minneapolis led Parshva Shah and Meghana Patel of Chicago to the viewing platform.

"It lives up to the hype," Shah said. "I always look for secret spots."

Foshay, who had lived for publicity and pizazz, went on to live a quiet life in the Southwest after prison. He later returned to Minnesota and 28 years to the day of when his tower opened, in 1957, the 76-year-old died at a nursing home in sight of the landmark.

He died without notice or fanfare, but the tower that symbolized the success and prosperity he once had will forever immortalize Foshay, his name in lights shining brightly each night.

To visit the Foshay Tower observation deck, check in at the hotel's front desk (821 Marquette Av., Mpls., marriott.com ). It's open daily; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. the rest of the year. Cost is $10, free for 12 and younger.

Kelly Smith  covers nonprofits/philanthropy for the Star Tribune and is based in Minneapolis. Since 2010, she’s covered Greater Minnesota on the state/region team, Hennepin County government, west metro suburban government and west metro K-12 education.

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Foshay Tower (1929)

• Nicollet Architecture Tour, Minneapolis
• United States
• Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407, United States

Created By: Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District

Information

Foshay Tower

Architect: Leon Arnal working for Magney and Tusler

Everything looked rosy in Minneapolis on October 28, 1928. A headline on the front page of the Star stated that building permits totaling $23 million had been issued in the city that year, topping the $22 million in permits issued in 1927. A bigger headline on the same front page declared that the Foshay Tower, then under construction, would be “unparalleled in [the] annals of building.” At 450 feet high and 32 stories, the Foshay Tower became the tallest building between Chicago and the west coast when it was finished in 1929. It remained the tallest building in Minneapolis until the IDS Center was constructed in 1972.

The Foshay Tower’s exterior, clad with Indiana limestone, and its obelisk shape were copied from the Washington Monument, the favorite building of Wilbur Burton Foshay, the tower’s owner and namesake. Foshay’s name is emblazoned on all four sides of the tower in 10-foot-high letters just below its ziggurat top. To withstand wind forces, the building was constructed of steel and reinforced concrete, and its foundation went down five floors below street level to bedrock. The top floor contains an open-air observation deck and a display of the building’s history.

The Foshay Tower was designed by French-born architect Leon Arnal (1881-1963), who was the head of design for the Minneapolis firm of Magney and Tusler. The building’s interior details — marble walls, cast iron radiator grates, and bronze Art Deco elevator doors — were hailed in the Star as Minneapolis’s first example of the “modern French style.” Other buildings by Arnal include the Women’s Club on Loring Park and the Main US Post Office on 1st Street So.

Foshay staged a grand opening for his tower over Labor Day weekend in 1929, complete with a brass band playing John Philip Sousa’s “Foshay March,” which was commissioned for the event. But when the stock market crashed two months later, Foshay lost everything.

The Foshay Tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Between 2006 and 2008, it was renovated and reopened as a 230-room hotel, the W Hotel Minneapolis - The Foshay.

This point of interest is part of the tour: Nicollet Architecture Tour, Minneapolis

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