Snapshot : Turk ’ s Head Building
Looming above the intersection of Weybosset and Westminster in downtown Providence , an imposing figure scowls at the streetscape below . The sixteen-story Turk ’ s Head Building was constructed in 1913 for the Brown Land Company , but the name ’ s history goes back much further . “ The Turk ’ s Head was a trading post originally back in the mid-1700s ,” says Robert Burke , owner of nearby Pot au Feu restaurant and founder of the history-focused Independence Trail . As the story goes , a shopkeeper named Jacob Whitman hung a ship ’ s figurehead depicting an Ottoman sultan above his store to distinguish it from others . The name stuck , and architectural firm Howells and Stokes incorporated a stone version of the figure into the new building ’ s design . Over the years , the property has hosted everything from a social club to the office of the first woman to pass the Rhode Island bar exam . While many look to New York ’ s Flatiron Building as the model for the signature wedge shape , Burke points out the Turk ’ s Head bears a close resemblance to the 1855 Merchants Bank Building on the other side of the plaza . “ I ’ m not sure I ’ m ready to look 180 miles away for inspiration when I can stand at the Turk ’ s Head and see the mini-me across the street ,” he says . — LAUREN CLEM
120 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l MARCH 2023