For the first half of the twentieth century, Thompson-Starrett and Co., a New York-based American engineering, construction, and contracting firm, dominated the building scene. In operation between 1899 and 1968, it was a leader in skyscraper construction and large-scale projects, and literally built the New York skyline. It designed and constructed the tallest skyscraper of the era, the Woolworth Building, as well as other iconic Manhattan structures such as the Equitable Building, the American Stock Exchange, the New York Municipal Building, and the Claridge, Algonquin, Roosevelt, St. Regis, and Waldorf-Astoria Hotels. A formidable pioneering force in structural engineering a hundred years ago, Thompson-Starrett is, by and large, forgotten today, especially its post-World War II ventures in Turkey, such as the Sarıyar Dam and the Çeşme Beach Houses, a luxury beachfront cooperative located in Ilıca, Izmir. However, what would prompt the engineering firm responsible for the Woolworth Building to take on the road and utility construction and project management of a Turkish summer resort? The answer lies in Cold War geopolitics and booming private enterprise, both of which, in the 1950s, converged in Turkey, relied on American engineering, and involved a complex process of Americanization.

在20世纪上半叶，汤普森-史塔瑞特公司（Thompson-Starrett and Co。）（总部位于纽约的美国工程，建筑和承包公司）主导着建筑界。它在1899年至1968年之间运营，是摩天大楼建设和大型项目的领导者，实际上是在建造纽约天际线。它设计并建造了当时最高的摩天大楼，伍尔沃斯大厦以及其他标志性的曼哈顿建筑，例如公平大厦，美国证券交易所，纽约市政大厦以及克拉里奇，阿冈昆，罗斯福，瑞吉和Waldorf-Astoria酒店。一百年前，汤普森·史塔特（Thompson-Starrett）在结构工程领域是强大的开拓力量，如今，它在很大程度上已被人们遗忘，尤其是二战后在土耳其的合资企业，如Sarıyar大坝和ÇeşmeBeach Houses，这是位于伊兹密尔Ilıca的豪华海滨合作社。但是，是什么促使负责Woolworth大厦的工程公司承担土耳其避暑胜地的道路和公用事业建设以及项目管理的任务呢？答案在于冷战的地缘政治和蓬勃发展的私营企业，这两者在1950年代融合于土耳其，依赖美国的工程技术，涉及复杂的美国化进程。