turn of the century

The beginning or end of a particular century, as in That idiom dates from the turn of the century, that is to say, about 1900. This expression was first recorded in 1926.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Examples from the Web for turn of the century

Contemporary Examples of turn of the century

There, Orange Scott ran the interurban, a turn-of-the-century electric trolley line that connected the boomtown with its exurbs.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History
Katie Baker
October 24, 2014
The turn-of-the-century stretch that yielded The Rainbow Children and N.E.W.S. is particularly easy to ignore.
Prince Returns From the Wilderness and, Thankfully, Is as Restless as Ever
Keith Phipps
October 1, 2014
Over the course of four years I read everything I could about Mary Mallon and the servant class in turn-of-the-century New York.
There’s Something about Typhoid Mary
Mary Beth Keane
April 27, 2013
The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin by Elizabeth Mitchell A thrilling, and true, turn-of-the-century detective story.
This Week’s Hot Reads
September 26, 2011
Turn-of-the-century progressives like Teddy Roosevelt wanted moderate change—reform, not revolution.
The Top 25 Centrist Columnists and Commentators
John Avlon
April 1, 2010