Henry C. Trost collection

Collection

Identifier: TROST

Scope and Content of the collection

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The Henry C. Trost collection contains sketches attributed to Trost while working at Trost & Trost. The subjects of these drawings include metal ornaments as well as buildings such as his own Henry C. Trost residence (El Paso, Texas, 1908), La Tuna Federal Correctional Institution (Anthony, Texas, 1932), the L.M. Lawson House (El Paso, Texas, 1914), the Gadsden Hotel (Douglas, Arizona, 1929), the Apache Tavern Hotel (Springerville, Arizona, 1920) and the Joseph F. Williams House (El Paso, Texas, 1905). The collection also includes a brief inventory of the sketches included, with project names and approximate dates included where possible, completed by June-Marie F. Engelbrecht in 1980, in her article "A Catalogue of the Henry Trost Drawings" which provides context and further commentary on the collection. In the article, Engelbrecht writes:

"The Trost drawings are all sketches in varying degrees of finish, with the exception of sheet number 33, and may be grouped in the following categories: 1) elevations for or relating to identified buildings; 2) other elevations; 3) ornament for or relating to identified buildings; 4) other ornament; 5) ground plans and construction details; 6) doodles or whimsies; and 7) notations of names, specifications, numerals and other inscriptions, all in the same hand. Frequently more than one kind of sketch was made on a single sheet." (93)

"The sheets were punched with a standard two-hole punch at the upper edges and were originally held together by two copper brads. The sequence of the catalog is the sequence in which the sheets were bound, with number 1 coming at the top." (93)

Sketch 53 on her inventory is not included in the collection.

Dates

Creation: Circa 1904-1916, 1930, undated

Creator

Trost, Henry C. (Henry Charles), 1860-1933 (contributor, Person)

Policies Governing Use and Access

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This collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using archival materials. As all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site, advance notice of at least three working days is required for retrieval. Certain items may require additional time for flattening or humidifying before they can be viewed. Access is by appointment only. Please contact the archives’ reference staff for further information.

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasions of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person).

The Alexander Architectural Archives operate in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and regulations, providing unrestricted access to university records not covered by state and federal right to privacy acts.

The Alexander Architectural Archives, The University of Texas Libraries, and The University of Texas at Austin, assume no responsibility for infringement of literary property rights and copyright or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion of privacy that results from a researcher’s use of collections.

Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless The University of Texas at Austin, and their officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of collections held by the libraries. Please alert staff if anything inappropriate is found during research.

Copyright interests in this collection may not have been transferred to the University of Texas. Researchers assume full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Additionally, the public use of material must be cited. See citation information below.

Henry Charles Trost Biographical Sketch

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Henry Charles Trost was born in Toledo, Ohio on March 5, 1860 to German immigrant parents, Ernst and Wilhelmina Trost. He eventually went to art school and became an architectural draftsman there before moving west to Denver, Colorado in 1880. In Denver, he worked with Nicholas & Canmen. Trost then spent the majority of the 1880s itinerant, working in various cities including Colorado Springs, Dodge City, Fort Worth, Galveston, New Orleans, and Pueblo. After years of working around the country he settled in Chicago in 1888, where he worked as an ornamental metal designer. During this time, Trost joined the Chicago Architectural Sketch Club (later known as just the Chicago Architectural Club), where he was influenced by the work and ideas of the Chicago School and of architects including Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition’s California Building also left an impression on Trost, due to its mission revival style.

After brief periods in Colorado Springs and Tucson—where Spanish colonial architecture left a strong impression—Trost settled permanently in El Paso, Texas, around 1903-1904. Soon after, he co-founded the architectural firm Trost & Trost with his brother Gustavus Adolphus Trost and nephew George Ernest Trost. In 1908, Gustavus’s twin brother, Adolphus Gustavus Trost, joined the firm as chief engineer. Under Henry Trost's leadership as chief designer, the firm quickly became one of the most important architectural practices in the region. Their success was in part due to their being one of the first firms to design buildings based on the local desert climate as well as their novel use of reinforced concrete.

Henry Trost was among the first to consciously design buildings adapted to the desert region he called "Arid America." For his own residence he adapted the Prairie School style to the rigors of high temperatures and hot sun by the addition of wide, overhanging eaves and balconies that shade nearly all of the windows.

Over a span of three decades, Trost & Trost designed a wide range of structures, including bungalows, schools, hotels, courthouses, commercial buildings, and reinforced concrete skyscrapers. The firm designed buildings in virtually every popular architectural style of the time, including Mission Revival and Pueblo Revival. The firm completed approximately 300 buildings in El Paso, and at least one hundred more across West Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Notable projects include Bassett Tower (El Paso, 1930), an art deco tower that was once the tallest building in El Paso; an addition to the Driskill Hotel (Austin, 1930), comprised of a high-rise art deco tower; and many buildings on the University of Texas at El Paso campus (El Paso, 1917-1933).

Henry Trost died on September 19, 1933. Gustavus Adolphus Trost and George Ernest Trost continued the firm until the early 1950s.

Sources:

Association, Texas State Historical. n.d. “Henry C. Trost: Pioneer Architect of the Southwest.” Texas State Historical Association. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/trost-henry-charles.

“Henry C. Trost.” n.d. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.henrytrost.org/family-history/henry-c-trost/.

“Henry C. Trost | 1860-1933 - Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation.” n.d. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://preservetucson.org/stories/277/#.

“Henry Charles Trost (1860-1933) - Find a Grave...” n.d. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/111885350/henry_charles-trost.

“O.T. Bassett Tower Aloft Hotel.” n.d. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://wrightdalbin.com/historic/o-t-bassett-tower-aloft-hotel.html.

Partial Extent

72 drawings

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Henry Charles Trost (1860-1933) was a prominent American architect, known for his firm's, Trost & Trost's, work in the Southwestern United States. This collection includes architectural design sketches of his work on several projects, with subjects ranging from metal ornaments to building façades. These sketches range in date from approximately 1904 to 1930. Record types include sketches and papers.

Acquisition Information

Collection was transferred from the Harry Ransom Center to the Alexander Architectural Archives on May 23, 2024.

Related Material

Trost Collection, El Paso Public Libraries

Trost and Trost Architects Collection, 1886 – 2013, University of Texas at El Paso Library

Trost & Trost Architectural Drawings, 1918-1931, University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections

References to works by or about Henry C. Trost

Engelbrecht, Lloyd C. 1981. Henry C. Trost, Architect of the Southwest. With June-Marie F. Engelbrecht and El Paso Public Library Association. El Paso Public Library Association.

Engelbrecht, Lloyd C., and June-Marie F. Engelbrecht. 1981. “Henry C. Trost as Draftsman.” The Library Chronicle of the University of Texas at Austin (Austin, Tex) 16: 79-.

-- compiled by Zoe Grout