Sioux City is also the birthplace of the Corn Palace, a temporary building made each year as part of the Corn Festival. The Sioux City Corn Palaces were large wooden buildings with corn cobs nailed to their walls. The first Corn Palace was built in 1887, and was designed by architect W.E. Loft. The Corn Palace became larger and grander every year. The last Sioux City Corn Palace, built in 1891, sprawled across the city's downtown area. The palace had three towers, one of which stretched 200 feet tall. It also had a large tunnel, which allowed traffic to pass right beneath its center.