Foshay Tower

Modeled after the Empire State Building, The Foshay Tower, was completed in 1929 just months before the stock market crash. In an elaborate dedication, Wilbur Foshay, had commissioned John Philp Sousa to write a special march for the event. Six weeks following the dedication of the building, Wilbur Foshay, was bankrupt and the $20,000 check he wrote to Sousa bounced. In retaliation, Sousa prohibited the playing of the march so long as Foshay's debt to him remained outstanding. Foshay never lived in his new home which went into receivership. In 1988, a group of Minnesota investors repaid Foshay's debt to Sousa's estate, and the march was permitted to be played again. Following a 90 million dollar renovation that began in 2006, it is now home to the 230 room W hotel.