Foshay Tower observation deck and museum

Wilbur Foshay was a utilities magnate who built a business empire in the 1920s and wanted a headquarters to match his ambitions. He commissioned a tower shaped like the Washington Monument, the memorial to the president he admired, and spared no expense on its African mahogany, ornamental metal, and gold-and-silver detailing. When it opened in 1929 he threw a lavish three-day dedication, complete with a march composed for the occasion by John Philip Sousa.

The triumph was heartbreakingly brief. Within weeks of the grand opening the stock market crashed, and Foshay's debt-laden empire collapsed. He lost the tower, was convicted of mail fraud tied to his financial dealings, and served time in prison, though his sentence was later commuted. Even the Sousa march went unpaid for, and the bandleader reportedly withdrew permission to play it for years. The tower Foshay built to celebrate his fortune outlived the fortune itself.

The Foshay is a showpiece of art deco, the sleek, geometric style of the late 1920s, from its tapering obelisk form to the rich materials and ornament of its interiors. Its stepped, slender profile made it stand out sharply on the Minneapolis skyline of its day, and the enormous FOSHAY letters near the top ensured no one could miss whose tower it was.

Near the summit sits the observation deck, once one of the great vantage points of the Upper Midwest and still a rewarding place to take in downtown Minneapolis, the river, and the sprawl of the city beyond. The accompanying museum gathers artifacts and photographs that bring the tower's Jazz Age origins and its dramatic story to life.

Minneapolis rose on the power of the Mississippi's only major waterfall, St. Anthony Falls, which drove the sawmills and flour mills that made it a milling capital. The Foshay was a product of the confident, booming city of the 1920s, a symbol of a place that had grown rich and wanted to announce it to the world in stone and steel.

The land beneath the city is part of Mni Sota Makoce, the Dakota homeland, and the river and its falls, sacred to the Dakota, were the reason the city grew where it did. That deeper history underlies the modern downtown, where the once-dominant Foshay now stands among far taller towers, a reminder of an earlier era of the city's ambitions.

The Foshay now anchors a downtown hotel, and its observation deck and museum operate on set hours, so it is wise to check access before a visit. A clear day makes all the difference for the view, and the compact experience pairs easily with a wider day exploring downtown Minneapolis.

Summer offers long, clear light over the city and green riverfront below, while fall adds color to the parks and river valley. Winter can bring crisp, sharp views on a cold blue day, and the warm interior is a welcome refuge, and spring reopens the city's outdoor life along Nicollet Mall and the nearby Mississippi.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Foshay Tower, in downtown Minneapolis, is a historic art deco skyscraper, once the tallest building in the city, now home to a hotel along with an observation deck and a small museum near its top. Modeled after the Washington Monument, the elegant tower offers visitors a chance to ascend to its open-air observation deck for sweeping panoramic views over Minneapolis and beyond, and to learn about the building's history and its colorful builder at the museum. A landmark of the skyline, it blends history with a great view. With its art deco tower, observation deck, and museum, the Foshay Tower offers an engaging destination in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

You can ascend the historic art deco tower to its open-air observation deck for sweeping panoramic views over Minneapolis and the surrounding area, visit the small museum to learn about the building's history and the rise and fall of its ambitious builder, and appreciate the elegant art deco design. The panoramic views from the deck are the highlight, offering a wonderful perspective on the city. With its observation deck views and historical museum, the Foshay Tower offers an engaging and memorable experience in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The observation deck is best enjoyed on clear days when the panoramic views over Minneapolis are at their finest, with late spring through fall offering the most pleasant weather for the open-air deck, and clear evenings providing beautiful sunset and city-lights views. Because the deck and museum keep specific hours that can be seasonal, checking current times before you go is wise. Clear, mild days are ideal. For the best views and comfortable weather on the open-air deck, aim for a clear day in late spring through fall at the Foshay Tower in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Foshay Tower was built in the late nineteen-twenties by an ambitious businessman who modeled it after the Washington Monument and celebrated its grand opening with lavish festivities, only to lose his fortune in the stock market crash shortly afterward, a dramatic rise-and-fall story. For decades it stood as the tallest building in Minneapolis and a symbol of the city, and its elegant art deco design remains a beloved landmark. The museum near its top tells this colorful history. Learning the tower's story adds interest to a visit to the Foshay Tower observation deck in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Foshay Tower is in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, within reach of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, Minnehaha Falls, and across the river the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Como Park Zoo in St. Paul. That makes the Foshay Tower an engaging stop to combine with the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, St. Anthony Falls, and the other attractions of the Twin Cities on a visit to Minnesota.