Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hometown Hero Interview
Hometown Hero Interview
TROST SOCIETY
Sadly, no. We are a tiny organization with a tiny budget. But we hope to
lease an office in a Trost building very soon!
6. Do you think that Trost and Trosts buildings have an impact in our
community today?
Why yes! Even though many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair or
have been demolished, many more have been renovated or adapted for a
new use. They offer unique spaces for new business, homes with warm and
inviting characteristics, or bright areas for offices. More than that, they are a
source of pride for many El Pasoans, who take out-of-town friends on tours of
our downtown. They are physical reminders of El Pasos important history showing the places where John F. Kennedy stayed overnight or where
Francisco Madero planned the Mexican Revolution, for example. Without
those buildings, we only have a few pictures and stories to recall our place in
U.S. and Mexican history.
7. Did he ever win any awards for his architecture?
Hm, not sure about that one, Ill have to ask!
8. Was he part of an architecture movement at the time?
Lets just say he was part of many movements! He designed in so many
different styles, it is hard to pin him down. He studied in Chicago at the time
Adler and Sullivan were making huge strides in the fields of architectural
design and engineering, so we can say that he was certainly influenced by
them. He was also very interested in our native architectural vernacular particularly mission and adobe styles.
9. What do you think his design philosophy was?
Hmmm, I havent thought about that. I suppose it might be to let the
character of place guide the design. He was very conscious of a buildings
physical environment and tried very hard to let the elements shine through
in the design.
10. Were most of his buildings in El Paso?
Yes! Trost designed some 600 buildings all across the southwest, but most of
them were located in El Paso. At the time, the city was very well connected
due to the railroad and proximity to Mexico. Materials and labor would have
been cheaper, making it much more cost effective to commission a building
here. The city was also growing at an extraordinary rate due to the
manufacturing and textile businesses that had settled here.
11. Does El Paso have the most Trost buildings in existence?
I believe so. Of the 600, there were over 300 in El Paso. While we dont know
the status of all of them, we do know that many of them are still around.
That makes us pretty lucky!