The Turk's Head: Providence's Most Iconic Corner Has a Stranger History Than You Think
By FilmmakerDave
I've walked past the Turk's Head Building probably hundreds of times. It's one of those places you stop noticing after a while ... just another part of the Providence skyline that you take for granted.
But here's what stopped me cold: the building wasn't the first "Turk's Head" on that corner. That name goes back over 200 years before the skyscraper ever existed. And that changes the whole story.
A Name Older Than the Building
The Turk's Head Building sits at the corner of Westminster and Weybosset Streets in downtown Providence — and it was built in 1913. Fourteen stories, Beaux-Arts style, designed by architects William R. Walker and Son. At the time it went up, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city. One of Providence's first real skyscrapers.
But the name? That's colonial-era.
Long before that building broke ground, there was a merchant's shop on that same corner. And hanging outside of it was a carved wooden head — a Turkish figure, the kind of trade sign that businesses used before widespread literacy made written signage practical. You'd hang a symbol so people knew what you sold or where you were. That corner became known simply as "Turk's Head," and the name stuck. For generations.
So when the builders put up that 14-story tower in 1913, they didn't invent the name. They inherited it. They were building on top of a piece of living Providence memory.
What I Love About This Place
I think what gets me about stories like this is how much history is just layered into the ground we walk on every day. People in Providence have been calling that intersection "Turk's Head" for well over two centuries. Long before any of us were born. Long before the city looked anything like it does today.
That carved wooden head is long gone. But the building that carries its name is still standing — and if you look closely at the facade, there's a carved stone turk's head embedded right into the building itself. They made sure it was there. A nod to what came before.
That kind of intentional connection between past and present is exactly what keeps me pointing cameras at old buildings instead of doing something more sensible with my life.
Downtown Providence and the Buildings We Take for Granted
Providence is full of this. We walk past architecture and history every single day without a second thought. The Turk's Head isn't just a building — it's a placeholder for an entire way of life that predates the industrial era, the automobile, the modern city.
I've been spending a lot of time lately looking at the Blackstone Valley, the mill complexes, the industrial waterways. But downtown Providence has its own deep layers. Westminster Street, Weybosset Street — these are old corridors. The bones of the city are right there on the surface if you slow down enough to actually look.
Go Find It
If you're downtown, go to the corner of Westminster and Weybosset. Look up at the building. Then look down at street level and find the carved stone face.
1-11 Weybosset St, Providence, RI 02903
That little sculpture is a 1913 architect's way of saying: we remember.
Rhode Island is full of places like this. I'm going to keep finding them.
FilmmakerDave is an independent filmmaker and content creator based in Providence, RI, documenting the history, people, and forgotten corners of Rhode Island. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook.
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