Trout Architects

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Troutner House Addition

In 1955 Troutner built a house for himself and his wife Kathryn, located in the east Boise hills just below Table Rock. He chose a severe site that was much to his liking. It was a tough sage brush and sunflower covered site marked by a long outcropping of basalt rock. There at the end of an outcropping, Art chose to graft his family home into the rock. He would imbed a two foot diameter steel column into the rock and build a sixteen sided two story house as if it were a part of the lava flow itself – a many faceted circle. While this would be one of Troutner’s finest structures, a profound combination of steel, wood, and stone, it did not employ the truss-deck system. In fact, it used steel trusses cantilevered from the great pylon to support the floors and roof. A powerful wall of Oakley stone provided the hearth. This centering element is much reminiscent of the way Frank Lloyd Wright would center his own houses on a natural or man-made rock core. The view of the valley was expansive and here Kathy Troutner could watch their two young children with binoculars, if necessary, as they roamed the nearby hills. This is one house that seems to relate to John Lautner’s work in the Los Angeles area. The property was of a size that easily accommodated Art’s work shop and the now famous dirigible hanger. Here he could create to his hearts content. Whether it be solar dishes, structural members, dirigibles, or sailboats.

In 2001, the current owners hired Trout Architects to restore the home after a fire had damaged much of the structure and to to add a sleeping wing and garage.

Design Team: Dwaine Carver, Steve Trout

  • FIRM PROFILE
    • Firm History
    • Staff
      • Steve Trout – AIA, LEED AP, Principal
      • Shaun Weston – Architect
      • Neil King – Drafting Technician
      • Carrie Durant – Office Manager
    • Publications
    • Awards
    • Services
  • Philosophy
    • Architecture + Design
    • Environmentally Conscious
    • Historic Preservation
  • Projects
    • Residential
      • Multi-family
        • Boise State University Apartments
        • Davis Park Apartments
        • River’s Bend Condominiums
        • Gateway Crossing Apartments
        • Grand Avenue Homes
      • Single Family
        • Hill House
        • Foothills House
        • Hill Road Houses
        • Klein House
        • McCall Housing
        • Troutner House Addition
        • Warm Springs Residence
        • Veltex Condominium
    • Planning
      • Harriman State Park
      • Brookside Village
      • Fort Boise VA Study
      • University of Idaho Physics Building
    • Public
      • Arts
        • Art Experience Gallery
      • Education
        • Boise State University TECenter
        • Frontier Point Lodge
      • Library
        • Caldwell Public Library Children’s Area Remodel
        • Collister Neighborhood Library
        • Hillcrest Neighborhood Library
        • Boise Main Library – Conceptual Study
        • Boise Main Library – Support Services Remodel
        • Boise Main Library – 3rd Floor Remodel
      • Municipal
        • Boise City Hall – Second Floor
        • Boise Veterans Administration Medical Center Campus
        • Blaine County Courthouse Annex
      • Museums
        • Boise Art Museum Addition
      • Non-Profits
    • Historic
      • Adaptive Reuse
        • Modern Hotel and Bar
        • Harriman State Park – Scovel Center
        • Syringa Networks – Idaho Falls
        • Churchill School Renovation
      • Preservation
        • Bown House Renovation
        • Klein House
        • Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead
        • Harriman State Park – Harriman Cottage
        • O’Farrell Cabin Restoration
        • Christ Chapel Stabilization
        • Harriman State Park – Bunkhouse
      • Renovation
        • Baxter Apartment Building Renovation
        • Boise VA Building #4 Surgeon’s Quarters
        • R.Z. Johnson Building
        • Hopffgarten Restoration & Renovation
        • Blaine County Courthouse Roof
        • Blaine County Historic Courthouse Stair
        • Harriman State Park – Dude Barns
        • Troutner House Addition
      • Studies
        • First Bank of Vale
        • Central High School
        • Fort Boise VA Study
    • Commercial
      • Breweries
        • Boise Brewing
        • Slanted Rock Brewing Company
        • Woodland Empire Ale Craft
        • Clairvoyant Brewery
      • Retail
        • J Crist Gallery
        • Newt and Harolds
      • Office
        • Syringa Networks – Idaho Falls
      • Medical
        • Primary Health
      • Hospitality
        • Lucy’s Coffee and Espresso
        • Moxie Java – Vista
  • On The Boards
    • Brewery
    • Historic
      • Gene Harris Bandshell Restoration
      • Boise Basin Mercantile
      • Spalding Hall Renovations
      • Boise Reserve Street Armory
      • Teton County Historic Courthouse
      • Lincoln Creek Day School
    • Public
      • Chaussee Swan
      • Boise River Sculpture Repair & Renovation
  • Contact
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