Turkish House: The Turtle Bay skyscraper at the center of Adams’ indictment
Photo courtesy of Perkins Eastman
A Midtown Manhattan skyscraper is at the center of Mayor Eric Adams’ historic indictment. According to the five-count indictment, Adams allegedly pressured the city’s Fire Department to allow the Turkish Consulate to occupy a new high-rise tower at 821 United Nations Plaza, despite not passing fire safety inspections, in exchange for paid and discounted travel benefits from the Turkish government. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the 36-story glass tower, known as the Turkevi Center or Turkish House, sits across from the United Nations and features a curving facade, “inspired by the Turkish crescent.” The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, charged Adams with five federal charges of bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign donations, which prosecutors say began when he was Brooklyn Borough President and continued after becoming mayor.
Construction on the Turkish House began in 2017 and was mostly completed by the spring of 2021. Inspired by a Turkish crescent, Perkins Eastman used swooping curves and geometric patterns inspired by Islamic themes and Turkish art and culture, as 6sqft previously reported.
The building’s crown is tulip-shaped, a tribute to the country’s national flower, and features loggias on the upper floors that provide sweeping views of the East River, Long Island City, and Downtown Manhattan, according to Curbed. The building offers consular and visa services, hosts events, and has rooms for diplomats to sleep in, as well as a prayer room, an exhibition space, and an auditorium
The massive structure replaced Turkey’s previous Consulate General and Permanent Mission to the United States, a much smaller 11-story building.
However, the structure continued to face a variety of safety issues before its official opening, including a glass panel that had broken off the facade and fell ten stories, and the FDNY rejecting its first fire safety plan after reporting numerous issues with critical mechanical systems like sprinklers and fans, according to Curbed.
The Turkish Consulate planned to open the Turkish House on September 20, 2021, in time for President Erdogan to formally open the building during his visit to New York City for that year’s United Nations General Assembly, a priority for Turkey’s Consul General in New York, according to the indictment. While construction was complete by August, the Department of Buildings did not issue a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) because the FDNY had not conducted an inspection or issued the “letter of defect,” which identifies remaining defects in the building’s fire safety systems and which is needed to receive a TCO.
Prosecutors say city officials lobbied the Fire Prevention Chief to provide a letter of defect. Citing several fire safety defects, the chief refused to do so. In September, Adams got involved in the matter directly after a Turkish official stated that “because Turkey had supported Adams, it was not ‘his turn’ to support Turkey,” the indictment claims.
According to the indictment, the FDNY inspector overseeing the building was warned he would be fired if he failed to follow the mayor’s order to ensure it was open in time for the U.N. General Assembly. The Fire Prevention Chief wrote the letter informing the Buildings department that the FDNY did not object to issuing the TCO, as long as the private engineers “affirmed the fire alarm system functioned properly,” according to the allegation.
A spokesperson for the FDNY told the New York Post the fire alarm system in the building was approved in March 2023 and described it as “safe,” but did not provide any more details.
“As alleged, Mayor Adams abused his position as this City’s highest elected official, and before that as Brooklyn Borough President, to take bribes and solicit illegal campaign contributions,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
“By allegedly taking improper and illegal benefits from foreign nationals—including to allow a Manhattan skyscraper to open without a fire inspection—Adams put the interests of his benefactors, including a foreign official, above those of his constituents.”
Prosecutors claim Adams received more than $100,000 in perks and benefits from Turkish officials, including free and discounted flights on Turkish Airlines, complimentary meals, and luxury accommodations in Turkey.
The indictment further claims Adams intentionally concealed these gifts, making it appear as though he paid for them and deleting any related messages.
Before the 2021 mayoral election, Adams reportedly received illegal campaign donations through a “straw-donor scheme” involving KSK, a construction firm linked to the Turkish government. The firm hosted a fundraiser in May 2021 that raised $69,720 from 84 donors, allowing Adams to qualify for an equivalent amount in public funding.
However, all the donations were for the same amount, and multiple donors from the fundraiser claimed they had not contributed. Additionally, the majority of them had never donated to any campaign before.
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