Léon Eugène Arnal, chief designer for the architects Magney & Tusler, designed the art deco style Foshay Tower. A commission by Wilbur Foshay, an art student turned businessman who amassed his fortune through an empire of utility concerns, the 32-floor tower mimics the Washington Monument, but with a larger, wider podium occupied by street level businesses. Despite a grand opening ceremony in 1929 just as the country entered the Great Depression, Mr. Foshay, whose company went into receivership amidst the economic crisis, would never occupy the building. The Foshay Tower would become a symbol for the city, remaining the area’s tallest structure until the IDS Center opened in the early 1970s. In 2008, the stately Tower was restored and converted by local businessman Ralph W. Burnet and Ryan Companies and reopened as a W Hotel.