Henry Charles Trost was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1860. 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 Trost moved to Chicago. Trost built his Chicago career designing in metal, and 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 moving south 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. 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.
From the description of Architectural drawings, 1918-1931. (University of New Mexico-Main Campus). WorldCat record id: 53080742
