An iconic building in Downtown Providence, the aptly named Turk’s Head Building, stands at a prominent site at the intersection of Weybosset and Westminster streets. The flatiron building was built in 1913 by the Brown family as an investment property, replacing a series of small early 19th century commercial buildings on the site. One of the original buildings on the site was owned by shopkeeper, Jacob Whitman, who mounted a ship’s figurehead above his store depicting the head of an Ottoman warrior. His store was called, “At the sign of the Turk’s Head.” When the Brown family redeveloped the site, they worked with the New York architectural firm of Howells & Stokes, who designed the new skyscraper of white brick with stone trim and a massive Turk’s head at the center of the curved facade, reminiscent of the site’s history and original figurehead metaphorically on the new building’s “prow”. The building has served as an important visual landmark to those entering Downtown from the East Side/College Hill area.
