N. Lester Troast
N. Lester Troast (1899–1958)[1] was an American architect from Sitka and Juneau, Alaska, who was one of the first professional architects to practice in Alaska.
N. Lester Troast | |
---|---|
Born | July 20, 1899 |
Died | October 9, 1958 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Architect |
Practice | N. L. Troast; N. L. Troast & Associates |
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Life and career
Troast began his career in the 1920s, as a teacher at Sitka's Sheldon Jackson School. Circa 1930, he left the school and established an architect's office in Sitka. At that time, he was noted as Alaska's only professional architect.[2] Later that year he moved his office to Juneau, the largest city in the then-territory. He quickly associated with William A. Manley, who would become a partner in N. Lester Troast & Associates in 1935. Manley was sent to Anchorage in late 1937 to open an office for the firm in that city.[3] Troast moved to New Jersey, and Manley opened his own Anchorage office in 1941.
In New Jersey, Troast lived in Clifton, and was associated with the family firm, the Mahoney-Troast Construction Company, headquartered in Passaic.
William Manley would go on to have a notable career as the senior partner in the Anchorage firm of Manley & Mayer.
Works
N. Lester Troast, before 1935
- 1929 - Sage Memorial Building, Sheldon Jackson School, Sitka, Alaska[4]
- 1930 - Eielson Memorial Building, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska[2]
- Completed in 1940 by the H. B. Foss Company.
- 1932 - St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Alterations), 611 Lincoln St, Sitka, Alaska.[5]
- 1933 - Mayflower School, St Anns Ave, Douglas, Alaska[6]
- 1935 - Original buildings, Matanuska Valley Colony, Palmer, Alaska[7]
- In association with David Williams of Washington, DC.
- 1935 - U. S. Federal Building (Old), Front St & Federal Way, Nome, Alaska[8]
- With Gilbert Stanley Underwood of Los Angeles.[9]
N. Lester Troast & Associates, 1935-1941
- 1935 - Decker Building, 231 S Franklin St, Juneau, Alaska[10]
- 1935 - Juneau Motor Building, 2 Marine Way, Juneau, Alaska[11]
- Burned.
- 1936 - Alaska Electric Light and Power Building, 134 N Franklin St, Juneau, Alaska[12]
- 1936 - Alaska Governor's Mansion (Remodeling), 716 Calhoun St, Juneau, Alaska[13]
- 1937 - Douglas City Hall, 1016 3rd St, Douglas, Alaska[14]
- Demolished.
- 1938 - Bunkhouse, Independence Mines, Palmer, Alaska[5]
- 1938 - Shrine of St. Thérèse, 21425 Glacier Hwy, Juneau, Alaska[13]
- 1940 - Howard Romig House, 440 L St, Anchorage, Alaska[15]
References
- "N. Lester Troast (1899-1958)". http://public.aia.org/. n.d. Web.
- Fairbanks (AK) Daily News-Miner 28 July 1930: 8.
- Alaska Miner 10 May 1938: 11.
- "Sage Building". http://hcap.artstor.org/%5B%5D. n.d. Web.
- Hoagland, Alison K. Buildings of Alaska. 1993.
- Mayflower School NRHP Nomination. 1988.
- Alanen, Arnold R. "Midwesterners in the Matanuska Valley: Colonizing Rural Alaska during the 1930s". People, Power, Places: Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture. Ed. Sally McMurry and Annmarie Adams. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 2000.
- Western Architect and Engineer 1935: 71.
- Hoagland, Alison K. Buildings of Alaska. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
- "231 S. Franklin Street". http://www.juneau.org/. n.d. Web.
- "1 February 1980 issue". http://www.juneau.org/. n.d. Web.
- "File Not Found | Alaska Electric Light & Power" (PDF).
- Loussac-Sogn Building NRHP Nomination. 1998.
- "Douglas City Hall Blueprints 1937". http://www.juneau.org/. 6 June 2015.
- South Addition Historic Context Statement & Building Survey. 2012.