Minneapolis · Downtown
W Minneapolis – The Foshay
Wilbur Foshay's 32-story tower, modeled on the Washington Monument and finished weeks before the 1929 crash; his boardroom is now the Prohibition bar.
- Built
- 1929Built 1927-1929 as the Foshay Tower office building (completed 30 August 1929); converted to the W hotel, which opened 13 August 2008.
- Style
- Art Deco
- Architect
- Magney & Tusler
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- Downtown
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Local landmark
The story
Wilbur Foshay built the 32-story tower, modeled on the Washington Monument, between 1927 and 1929 to designs by Magney & Tusler; it was completed on 30 August 1929, weeks before the stock-market crash. At 447 feet it was the tallest building in Minneapolis until the IDS Center was finished in 1972. The tower was listed on the National Register in 1978. Developers converted it into a W hotel that opened on 13 August 2008, keeping the 30th-floor observation deck and turning Foshay’s 27th-floor boardroom into the Prohibition bar.
The ghost story
Meet Minneapolis lists the Foshay Tower among the city's most haunted spots: lore holds that builder Wilbur Foshay still roams the building (though he in fact died of a stroke in a North Minneapolis nursing home), with reported sightings of him, quirky elevator behavior and apparitions.
Source: www.minneapolis.org
Good to know
- Parking: on-site paid
- Elevator
- Pets welcome
- Address: 821 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Things to do
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Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.