Adolphus Gustavus Trost 1876 - 1957 - SEAoT

Adolphus Gustavus Trost
1876 - 1957
Adolphus Gustavus Trost was born on June 20, 1876 in Toledo, Ohio, the twin brother of
Gustavus Adolphus Trost and younger brother of Henry C. Trost, a man who would later make his
mark as a leading architect in the Southwest U. S., based in El Paso, Texas. 4
Adolphus graduated in 1894 from the Manual Training School, Department of the Toledo Public
Schools and of the Toledo University in Toledo, Ohio. 6
Mr. Adolphus Gustavus Trost did not receive a formal degree from a university but was considered
to be a mathematical whiz. It is apparent that he was able to learn calculus and other
mathematical theory, which would have been necessary, for him to perform the structural
engineering design required for the many multistory, reinforced concrete structures designed by
the firm. This is during a period when reinforced concrete design was evolving, and his work
would have been considered advanced at the time. From 1894, until he joined the firm of Trost
and Trost, Architects and Engineers, in El Paso, Texas in 1908, as a partner, he worked in the
Toledo, Ohio area. His ASCE Memoirs Extract state that he served an apprenticeship with
Architects in Toledo, but the name of the firm(s) is not known. Other information indicates that he
also worked as a superintendent for Donovan Wire and Iron Company.
In 1903, his older brother, Henry Charles Trost and his twin brother, Gustavus Adolphus Trost
formed the firm of Trost and Trost in El Paso, Texas. It was not until Adolphus Gustavus, known
as Ad, joined the firm in 1908, that the firm undertook the design of several reinforced concrete
buildings. 5 Ad was undoubtedly able to gain his structural engineering knowledge and experience
before he joined the Trost and Trost firm, because he designed the structure for the first large,
multistory, reinforced concrete framed building in El Paso, the 12 story Mills building, shortly after
joining the firm. Mr. Trost served as the only known structural engineer for the firm of Trost and
Trost, Architects and Engineers, until the firm dissolved in 1951. 6
The importance of the Trost buildings is that in this time period (1908-1912) concrete construction
was in its infancy. There were few text books, college courses or building codes to provide
guidance as to how to design a reinforced concrete building. The first rules for design and
construction of reinforced concrete in the U.S. were the “Standard Building Regulations for the
Use of Reinforced Concrete” published in 1910 by the National Association of Cement Users

(which subsequently became the American Concrete Institute). A Joint Committee on Concrete
and Reinforced Concrete was established by the American Society of Civil Engineers, The
American Society for Testing Materials, the American Railroad Engineering Association and the
Association of American Portland Cement Manufacturers in 1904. This group was later joined by
the American Concrete Institute. The Committee sponsored research related to reinforced
concrete between 1904 and 1910. A preliminary Report was issued in 1913 and a Final Report
was published in 1916. 3
Although there were examples of concrete construction in Europe and in parts of the United States
during the previous decade, there was no unified approach to design. Many of the methods of
construction (and the assumptions behind them) were patented. Several people advanced
theories and conducted successful practical demonstration projects, including C. A. P. Turner and
Ernest L. Ransome. Meanwhile, others who tried to construct in reinforced concrete suffered
dramatic failures.
While serving as the structural engineer for the firm of Trost and Trost, from 1908 until 1951, the
firm gained an enviable reputation for the design of many projects in the El Paso and greater
southwest area, including projects in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Many of the projects
are considered historically significant and include the following, most notably for their innovative
design and excellence.
Mr. Trost was elected as an Associate Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1913,
became a member in 1917, and in 1947 was designated as a Life Member. 7 Adolphus Gustavus
Trost was registered as a professional engineer in Arizona in 1922, and became a licensed
professional engineer in 1939 in the state of Texas, not long after Texas passed legislation to
establish The Texas Engineering Practice Act. His Registration Number was 1513. 8
Ad was a member of the AF & AM and the Scottish Rite Bodies of El Paso. He was affiliated with
the Lutheran Church. Ad was married to Carolyn Haynes for 42 years. 7
The following is a list of the books, which belonged to Mr. Trost and which were left to the El Paso
Public Library: 6
Basic Mathematics for Engineers by Wiley
Mathematics for Engineers by Dull
Continuity in Concrete Building Frame by the Portland Cement Association
The Calculus by John Graham
A Primer of Calculus by Hathaway
Handbooks of Mathematics by Claudel
Reinforced Concrete by Charles F. Marsh
Adolphus Gustavus Trost died on July 27, 1957, at the age of 81, and was survived by his wife
Carolyn. 7

Reinforced Concrete Buildings in El Paso Designed by Adolphus Trost
The Richard Caples Building
It is noteworthy that almost immediately after
Adolphus Trost arrived in El Paso, the Trost firm
designed a series of multistory reinforced
concrete buildings, all of which were important in
the development of the city. The first of these
was the five-story Richard Caples Building, which
was started in April of 1909. Articles in the El
Paso Herald indicated that there was much
interest among the local population regarding the
methods used to construct in concrete. 5
Concrete construction was an entirely new
phenomenon at that time.
Richard Caples Building
The Abdou Building
The next building, begun in July of 1909, was the
seven-story Abdou Building (originally known as
the Rio Grande Valley Bank Building). Most of
the exterior of this structure was exposed
concrete. When it was completed, in March 0f
1910, the Abdou Building was the tallest building
in El Paso. 5
The Abdou Building

The Roberts-Banner Building
The Trost firm designed three
concrete buildings in 1910, the
first being the five-story Roberts–
Banner Building.
This building, as with the previous
two structures, employed cast
concrete elements to create
architectural details. This type of
ornamentation reached a high
degree of refinement.
Roberts-Banner Building
The Poesner Building
The fourth concrete building was the
Poesner Building (Little Caples Building)
which utilized no cast concrete detailing
and was quite plain. The building was
constructed in 1910 and was demolished
in 1941. 5
Poesner Building

Mills Building
Constructed 1910-1912
Finally, the fifth building in this series and the most celebrated is the Mills Building. After the
building was completed, in 1912, the Trost firm moved their offices into the building, where they
remained until 1920. The Mills Building has been recognized as an excellent example of the
architectural style of Louis Sullivan of Chicago
The twelve-story Mills Building is registered as a historic building by the El Paso County Historical
Society and is identified by a marker on the building. It was considered to be the first multistory,
reinforced concrete framed building in El Paso, and the tallest of this type of office building in the
world, when it was constructed in 1910-12. The reinforced concrete frame for the building utilized
continuity within the concrete beams and at the columns. The building utilized cast-in-place
concrete throughout, and one of the exterior walls is in a curved configuration, to match the pattern
of the street in front. 5
The Mills Building

Hotel Paso Del Norte
Constructed 1912
In the years following the construction of the Mills
Building, the Trost and Trost firm continued to
design and construct a number of reinforced
concrete buildings in El Paso and the
surrounding region, which are still in use and are
also considered historical buildings. The Hotel
Paso del Norte is registered by the National
Register of Historic Places and is also identified
by a marker on the building. This structure was
another reinforced concrete framed building.

El Paso High School
Constructed 1916-1917
El Paso High School is a four and five story, reinforced concrete structure, located on top of a hill
that overlooks the school’s football stadium, which was constructed and designed to fit into the
mountain below. The building structure wraps around the top of the stadium and contains a finearts
theater, a boy’s gymnasium and girl’s gymnasium, classrooms, and cafeteria, all within the
single building enclosure. The building has been designated as a historical structure by the
National Register of Historic Places and is identified as such by a National Register of Historic
Places Marker on the building.
Trost & Trost designed many buildings throughout the Southwest US from 1908 to 1933, when
Henry C. Trost passed away. Because of the remoteness of the area, many of these buildings
were constructed of reinforced concrete. A partial list of buildings which were designed by the
Trosts, in addition to those mentioned above, include:
El Paso, TX
The Hotel Cortez (1926)
Plaza Hotel (1930)
YMCA Building (1908) (demolished !961)
Place Theater (1914)
Loretto Academy (1923)
The original four buildings for the
Texas School of Mines (1921) (UT-El Paso)
Austin, TX
Addition to Driscoll Hotel (1930)
San Angelo, TX
San Angelo City Hall (1928)
Tucson, AZ
Luhrs Tower (1930)
Marfa, Texas
El Paisano Hotel (1930)
Albuquerque, NM
Occidental Life Insurance (1913)
Rosenwald Building (1910)
Franciscan Hotel (1923)
Soccoro, NM
Hotel Valverde (1919)

Bassett Tower Constructed 1930
This building is also identified by a National Register of Historic Places marker and was
constructed after the firm had been in practice for 27 years. The Basset Tower is a 16-story, castin-place,
reinforced concrete building with a relatively small footprint, but was considered unique
because all four sides were exposed to public view. This was at a time when it was common to
design buildings with only the front and perhaps one side exposed to public view. This is the last
large concrete building designed by Trost.
During a time when reinforced concrete construction was beginning to be used as a structural
system, (1905 -1912) Ad Trost contributed to the structural engineering profession through his
innovative use of multi-story, reinforced concrete framed structures, which took full advantage of
continuity. Photographs of buildings under construction in the early 1900’s reflect the use of castin-place
concrete construction in large buildings, which was considered to be a pioneering
approach at the time.
Adolphus G. Trost was truly a pioneering structural engineer. He apparently had confidence in the
knowledge he had gained early in his career which allowed him to design some of the first large
reinforced concrete structures in Texas. It is believed that these buildings were constructed before
any comparable concrete structures were built in Dallas or Houston.

References:
1. Committee on Concrete and Reinforced Concrete, “Standard Building Regulations for the Use of
Reinforced Concrete,” Proceedings, National Association of Cement Users, Vol. 6, 1910. pp. 349-361.
2. Special Committee on Concrete and Reinforced Concrete, “Progress Report of Special Committee on
Concrete and Reinforced Concrete,” Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1913, pp.
117–135.
3. Special Committee on Concrete and Reinforced Concrete, “Final Report of Special Committee on
Concrete and Reinforced Concrete,” Proceedings of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1916, pp.
1657 – 1708.
4. Engelbrecht, Lloyd C. and June-Marie, “Henry C. Trost, Architect of the Southwest”, 1981, pp. 32.
5. Engelbrecht, Lloyd C. and June-Marie, “Henry C. Trost, Architect of the Southwest”, 1981, pp. 49-58.
6. Personal correspondence between Robert Navarro, P.E. and Marion Doherty, a niece of Ad Trost, and her
daughter, Margaret Smith.
7. Memoirs Abstracts, ASCE Transactions, Vol. 125, 1960, pp.1436-1437.
8. Roster of Registered Professional Engineers, State of Texas, 1938.
Credits:
The photograph of Adolphus G. Trost is courtesy of Mr. Trost’s niece, Marion Doherty.
Photographs of the Caples, Abdou, Roberts-Banner, Poesner and Mills buildings are from the Aultman
Collection at the El Paso Public Library.
Photograph of the Paso Del Norte Hotel is from the Roots web site.
Photograph of El Paso High School is from El Paso Ind. School District.
Photographs of Bassett Tower are from the Bassett Tower web site.