Origins

The Turks Head building was designed in 1913 by New York architects Howells & Strokes. The building was erected by the Brown Land Co. as an investment for members of the Brown family, and was part of a highway improvement plan that would encourage more useful road relocation movements in the future. A portion of the original lot was taken by the city for widening the highway at the street intersection. The Turk’s Head which has been familiar to nearly every resident of the state for more than three generations graces its origin back to the days when signs, instead of numbers, were used by business houses to guide and attract customers.

Jacob Whitman’s house originally stood on this site in 1750. The Turks Head building far surpasses the Whitman house in size and scale. The 16-story building, constructed of white brick with granite and limestone trimmings, is featured by a massive Turk’s head in the center of the curved façade, reminiscent of the wooden effigy of an Ottoman warrior that formerly adorned Whitman’s corner. The V-plan is composed of classically derived detail such as a heavy modillion cornice. Its base is arcaded with polished-granite composite columns. In the past, the building has housed brokerages, insurance firms, advertising agencies, professional offices and even a bank.