The Foshay Tower is a 32-story obelisk-shaped skyscraper from 1929 that was the tallest building in Minneapolis for 43 years. Designed to resemble the Washington Monument, it is an extraordinary piece of art deco ambition: a tapering square shaft clad in limestone, with the name "FOSHAY" spelled out in large letters on all four sides near the top.
The tower is now the W Hotel Minneapolis, and the observation deck on the 30th floor is open to visitors. The view encompasses the downtown grid, the river corridor, and on clear days the suburbs extending in every direction. The building's lobby retains much of its original Art Deco decoration. The Prohibition-era bar in the basement has been restored and is a good place to drink in surroundings that actually belong to the period.