Minneapolis Landmark Foshay Tower
From the time of its dedication in 1929 until its towering height was surpassed by the IDS Center in 1972, the Foshay Tower was the dominant landmark on the Minneapolis skyline. At 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 7, Twin Cities Public Television will re-visit this historic Minnesota landmark as part of its Lost Cities III broadcast series. The Gustavus Wind Orchestra will be featured on the broadcast performing John Philip Sousa’s Foshay Tower Washington Memorial march, written for the dedication of the tower. The march is the opening track on Sousa Marches, a larger collection of Sousa marches recorded by the (then) Gustavus Band in 1998, under the direction of Douglas Nimmo.
The Foshay Tower, designed to echo the Washington Monument, was built by Wilbur Forshay, an art student turned businessman who built the W. B. Foshay Company utility empire. The dedication ceremony in 1929 included over 25,000 invited guests and featured a 19-gun salute and a brass band conducted by John Philip Sousa, the composer of the Foshay Tower Washington Memorial march. Six weeks later, the stock market, and Foshay’s empire, crashed. The commission check given to Sousa for the march bounced and the composer refused to allow the march to be played again until the debt was paid. In 1988, a group of investors paid the still outstanding debt and the march was once again available for performance.
Based on the Larry Millett book of the same name, the Lost Cities III programs explore the vibrant history of vanished places and cultures in the metropolitan area. In this episode, viewers will revisit long gone department stores, restaurants, theaters, amusement parks, sporting events, and more. Narrated by Don Shelby, this hour long special will revive fond memories from bygone eras and introduce viewers to surprising past chapters, like the Foshay Tower, of the place we call home.
Twin Cities Public Television’s broadcast of Lost Cities III, featuring the Gustavus Wind Orchestra performing John Philip Sousa’s Foshay Tower Washington Memorial begins at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 7. More information regarding Lost Cities III is available online at Twin Cities Public Television.