The Turk's Head Building is a 16-story office high-rise in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. When completed in 1913, the Turk's Head Building surpassed the 1901 Union Trust Company Building to become the tallest building in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

(the

Rhode Island State House The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 82 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, Smith Hill, on the border of Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island, downtown in Prov ...

is taller and was finished in 1904). The building retained that title until 1922, when the

Providence Biltmore The Graduate by Hilton Providence is an upscale hotel that opened in 1922 as the Providence Biltmore Hotel, part of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels chain. It is located on the southern corner of Kennedy Plaza at 11 Dorrance Street in downtown Provid ...

was completed. The building is one of the oldest skyscrapers in Providence. Standing tall, it is currently the 11th-tallest building in Providence.Woodward, Wm McKenzie. "''Guide to Providence Architecture''. 1st ed. 2003: United States. . p. 81

History

The building is designed in a V-shape, and architectural historian William McKenzie Woodward asserts that the architects of the building "clearly had in mind Daniel Burnham's

Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a 22-story, steel-framed triangular building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick P. Dinke ...

" (in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

). The skyscraper's peculiar name dates back to the early nineteenth century, when shopkeeper Jacob Whitman mounted a ship's figurehead above his store. The figurehead, which came from the ship ''Sultan'', depicted the head of an Ottoman warrior. Whitman's store was called "At the sign of the Turk's Head". The figurehead was lost in a storm, and today a stone replica is found on the building's 3rd floor façade. After buying the building in 1997 for $4.2 million and spending $3 million renovating it, brothers Evan and Lloyd Granoff sold the building in 2008 for $17.55 million to FB Capital Partners. The Granoffs had not been actively trying to sell the building—their attorney advisor said they accepted the deal because the sum offered was well over the worth of the building. The building was also featured in one of the scenes from the Disney movie ''

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

''.

Tenants

The building is known for the longevity of its tenants. It is home to at least two tenants which have operated in the building for over a century. The investment firm Brown, Lisle/Cummings Inc., and the law firm Gardner, Sawyer, Gates & Sloan both opened their doors in 1913 and kept offices in the building for a century. Gardner, Sawyer, Gates & Sloan is notable as the firm of Ada Lewis Sawyer, Rhode Island's first female lawyer. Attorney Timothy Conlon has gained nationwide representation for his work as a divorce lawyer and in litigation involving clergy sexual abuse.

Gallery

File:View down Westminster, 1892.jpg, The intersection of Weybosset and Westminster Streets in 1892, prior to the construction of the building File:Turk's Head Building.jpg, View of the building in the process of being built, 1912 File:Turk's Head Building Providence.jpg, The building's front facade in 2016 File:Turk's Head detail.jpg, The turbaned figurehead adorning the front of the building File:Turk's Head Building, rear.jpg, The building's rear, viewed from Westminster Street File:Turks Head storefront.png, Jacob Whitman's Old Turk's Head Building

References

External links

* * Skyscraper office buildings in Providence, Rhode Island 1913 establishments in Rhode Island Office buildings completed in 1913 {{ProvidenceRI-struct-stub