The Foshay Tower Scandal: Towering Ambition, Financial Ruin, and the 1929 Crash
Long before the IDS Center dominated the Minneapolis skyline, utility magnate Wilbur Foshay commissioned a 447-foot Art Deco building to represent his own unshakeable ambition. Modeled after the Washington Monument, The Foshay Tower was built with 100% union labor in defiance of local business leaders. It was the tallest building between Chicago and the Pacific coast. Dedicated over Labor Day weekend in 1929 with 25,000 guests, 19-gun salutes, and a custom march by John Philip Sousa, the obelisk projected absolute financial permanence. Just 67 days later, Black Tuesday shattered Foshay's…
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