Trost & Trost Architectural Drawings,
Collection
Identifier: SWA-Trost Drawings
Scope and Content
Trost & Trost is a small collection of architectural drawings and plans including floor plans, elevations, and details, 1918-1931. The drawings were created by Henry C. Trost and his firms variously called: Trost & Trost; Trost & Trost and Geo P. Hill; and Trost & Trost and Wm. Brittelle. Most plans are for hotels and a bank building, primarily located in Albuquerque. A range of architectural styles are reflected in the drawings. For instance, the El Fidel hotel in Albuquerque was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Romanesque features and the Chicago School are reflected in the First National Bank of Albuquerque.
Dates
- 1918-1931
Creator
- Trost & Trost (Firm) (Organization)
Language of Materials
English
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Biographical Information
Henry Charles Trost was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1860 to German immigrant parents. His father Ernst Trost, was a carpenter and builder. Graduating from art school in 1877, Trost worked as a draftsman for a Toledo architect for three years. Migrating west to Pueblo, Colorado in 1880, Trost established a partnership with Frank Weston, with whom he practiced off and on for eighteen years.
In 1887, after Pueblo's boom years dropped off, Trost moved to Chicago, an emerging center for architectural activity. Trost built his Chicago career designing in metal. He received national credit for advancing the art of metal into ornamental form. Trost contributed to the elaborate metal work on the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. building in Chicago.
Returning to Colorado in 1896, Trost reinstated his practice with Weston for three more years. In 1899 he relocated once again, this time to Tucson, Arizona. In 1903, Trost finally settled in El Paso, Texas to practice with brother Gustavus. His nephew George Ernst assisted. After the death of their father in 1908, Adolphus, the twin brother to Gustavus, joined the firm as structural engineer. The firm Trost and Trost had commissions all through the Southwest, the majority in El Paso,Texas and New Mexico.
Henry Trost, chief architect for the firm, is credited with shaping the downtown area of El Paso, where many of his buildings are now landmarks. He also contributed to the campus now known as the University of Texas at El Paso, choosing the unusual Bhutanese style, which echoes South Asian architecture. Utilizing numerous architectural styles, he found that several functioned well in the arid region of the Southwest.
The Occidental Insurance Company building in downtown Albuquerque, presently known as the New Mexico Title Company building, exemplifies the Venetian Gothic style of the fifteenth century. An earlier building for Occidental by Trost & Trost, erected in 1905, reflected the Chicago School of Architecture. The second structure, completed in 1916, resembles the Doge's Palace of Venice. Trost's scaled down version has a white glazed terra cotta facade with multiple ground level arches and leafy spandrels, reminiscent of his iron work in Chicago.
The Franciscan Hotel, built in 1923 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, received national and international attention. Echoing the Pueblo Revival Style, the hotel resembled the multi-storied pueblo communities along the Rio Grande River in central and northern New Mexico. The use of reinforced concrete, cubistic angles, and crude detailing demonstrated contemporary techniques. The hotel was featured in national publications and photographs of it were shown at the American Architectural exhibit in Europe in 1928. Unfortunately, the hotel was demolished in 1972.
Henry C. Trost left behind a rich architectural legacy for the Southwest. He died in El Paso on September 19, 1933. Trost & Trost continued to operate under his brothers until they closed it in 1946.
In 1887, after Pueblo's boom years dropped off, Trost moved to Chicago, an emerging center for architectural activity. Trost built his Chicago career designing in metal. He received national credit for advancing the art of metal into ornamental form. Trost contributed to the elaborate metal work on the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. building in Chicago.
Returning to Colorado in 1896, Trost reinstated his practice with Weston for three more years. In 1899 he relocated once again, this time to Tucson, Arizona. In 1903, Trost finally settled in El Paso, Texas to practice with brother Gustavus. His nephew George Ernst assisted. After the death of their father in 1908, Adolphus, the twin brother to Gustavus, joined the firm as structural engineer. The firm Trost and Trost had commissions all through the Southwest, the majority in El Paso,Texas and New Mexico.
Henry Trost, chief architect for the firm, is credited with shaping the downtown area of El Paso, where many of his buildings are now landmarks. He also contributed to the campus now known as the University of Texas at El Paso, choosing the unusual Bhutanese style, which echoes South Asian architecture. Utilizing numerous architectural styles, he found that several functioned well in the arid region of the Southwest.
The Occidental Insurance Company building in downtown Albuquerque, presently known as the New Mexico Title Company building, exemplifies the Venetian Gothic style of the fifteenth century. An earlier building for Occidental by Trost & Trost, erected in 1905, reflected the Chicago School of Architecture. The second structure, completed in 1916, resembles the Doge's Palace of Venice. Trost's scaled down version has a white glazed terra cotta facade with multiple ground level arches and leafy spandrels, reminiscent of his iron work in Chicago.
The Franciscan Hotel, built in 1923 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, received national and international attention. Echoing the Pueblo Revival Style, the hotel resembled the multi-storied pueblo communities along the Rio Grande River in central and northern New Mexico. The use of reinforced concrete, cubistic angles, and crude detailing demonstrated contemporary techniques. The hotel was featured in national publications and photographs of it were shown at the American Architectural exhibit in Europe in 1928. Unfortunately, the hotel was demolished in 1972.
Henry C. Trost left behind a rich architectural legacy for the Southwest. He died in El Paso on September 19, 1933. Trost & Trost continued to operate under his brothers until they closed it in 1946.
Extent
2 drawers (0.5 lin. ft.)
Abstract
The Trost & Trost collection consists of architectural drawings and plans for commercial buildings, primarily in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
General
Contact Information
- Center for Southwest Research
- MSC05 3020, 1, The University of New Mexico
- University Libraries
- Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
- Phone: 505-277-0060
- Fax:
- Email: cswrref@unm.edu
- URL: http://elibrary.unm.edu/cswr
General
General
A model, plans, and photographs of the Occidental Insurance (New Mexico Title Company) building are in this collection.
Creator
- Trost & Trost (Firm) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Trost & Trost Architectural Drawings, 1918-1931
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by E. Evans-Colburn
- Date
- ©2005
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Revision Statements
- Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
cswrref@unm.edu