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Art Troutner: Architect of Boise's Most Notable Mid-Century Homes

Updated: Jun 21

Arthur Lowe Troutner, known to most simply as “Art”, was a bold innovator whose work helped define the architectural identity of the American West. An Idaho native, Troutner was a trailblazing architect, structural engineer, and prolific inventor whose influence reached far beyond the boundaries of his home state. Celebrated for his fearless experimentation with form, material, and structure, Troutner's work remains a cornerstone of mid-century modernism in the Intermountain West. His designs, ranging from cliff-embedded homes and soaring rooflines to early wood-composite systems, continue to inspire a new generation of architects, preservationists, and builders.


Though never a household name on the scale of Frank Lloyd Wright or Richard Neutra, Troutner’s body of work is equally singular in its vision. Deeply site-responsive, materially expressive, and structurally audacious, his architectural legacy is most visible in the hills, neighborhoods, and institutions of Boise, where he designed dozens of homes and structures that still stand as testaments to his genius.




Troutner's Early Life and Education


Arthur Troutner was born in 1921 in the rural town of Pingree, Idaho, and raised amid the rugged, hardscrabble terrain of a Depression-era farm. From a young age, he showed an instinct for engineering and invention—skills born not from textbooks but from necessity, as he tinkered with salvaged parts and farm machinery to solve everyday problems. At the age of 13, he moved to Boise to live with relatives and pursue his formal education. He attended Boise High School and Boise Junior College before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, where he served as a flight engineer and mechanic.


After the war, Troutner enrolled at the University of Idaho, where he studied architecture and engineering, graduating in 1949. His time at the university marked a pivotal period in his development. While many of his contemporaries gravitated toward conventional styles, Troutner became fascinated with experimental design, structural innovation, and the creative potential of emerging materials, such as engineered wood. His senior thesis reportedly included an early conceptualization of what would later become his Trus-Deck system, a reflection of the forward-thinking mindset that would define his career.



Architectural Philosophy and Design Approach

For Art Troutner, architecture has always been about synergy. He believed that buildings should grow from their environment, not dominate it, and that true innovation required both structural daring and poetic restraint. His design philosophy merged engineering precision with expressive form, resulting in structures that seemed to blend seamlessly with the land itself.


Troutner rejected the conventional in favor of the intuitive. He embraced raw, elemental materials—wood, glass, concrete, and stone—not just for their utility, but for their honesty. Every beam, panel, and truss was a deliberate gesture, serving both function and form. His work often appears deceptively simple, yet it’s rooted in complex systems and experimental ideas that challenged the limits of mid-century construction.


Whether carving a home into a basalt cliff or floating a roofline above the treetops, Troutner designed with a reverence for nature and a relentless curiosity for how far design could go without losing touch with place. His buildings are not just seen—they’re experienced, lived in, and remembered.



Notable Architectural Works by Art Troutner


The Troutner House (1955–1957)


Among Art Troutner’s most iconic and personal projects is his personal family residence, built into the rugged hillside just below Table Rock in East Boise. Rather than imposing a structure upon the land, Troutner chose to embed the home directly into the basalt cliff, anchoring it with a two-foot diameter steel column sunk into the rock. The result was a 16-sided, two-story residence—part sculpture, part shelter—that reflected his fascination with organic forms and structural innovation. While the home did not use his experimental Trus-Deck system, it showcased a different type of engineering ingenuity: steel trusses cantilevered from the central pylon supported both the floors and the roof. A massive Oakley stone hearth grounded the home, reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s approach to integrating nature and architecture. The home later housed his workshop and a now-famous dirigible hangar, becoming a creative laboratory for Troutner's many inventions.


Phillips House (1958–59)


Located in Boise’s Kootenai neighborhood, the Phillips House is one of the most celebrated examples of Troutner’s folded-plate roof design, a technique that used angular panels to create visual drama and structural integrity. Built using his patented post-and-panel system, the house also employed the Trus-Deck structural concept—a thin-profile roofing method that integrated ceiling and structure. This system allowed for long, uninterrupted spans and open-plan interiors that were ahead of their time.


Klein House (1959)


Another Boise masterpiece, the Klein House on Warm Springs Avenue featured an indoor geothermal pool, continuous clerestory windows, and expansive use of glass and natural materials. Though stunning in execution, the home's original Trus-Deck roof eventually succumbed to corrosion from chlorine gas emitted by the pool. Years later, Trout Architects was brought in to replicate the original design using modern, corrosion-resistant materials, preserving the home’s unique aesthetic.




Recognition and Legacy


Though Arthur Troutner’s name may not be as universally recognized as some of his mid-century contemporaries, his influence on American architecture—particularly in the Intermountain West—is profound. In recent years, architectural historians and preservationists have brought renewed attention to his work. Several of his Boise-area homes are now considered architectural landmarks, celebrated for their structural ingenuity and seamless integration with the landscape. And while his most radical experiments were not always widely adopted in his lifetime, many of his ideas laid the groundwork for advances that still shape modern construction today.


Trus-Deck and Structural Innovation


One of Troutner’s most forward-thinking inventions was the Trus-Deck system—an integrated structural and ceiling solution that combined steel cables and thin wood panels into a single assembly. Designed to minimize material waste while achieving sleek, expressive rooflines, Trus-Deck was employed in select projects, including the Phillips and Klein Houses. Though never commercialized on a large scale, the system exemplified Troutner’s belief that architecture should be both structurally daring and visually elegant.


The Trus Joist Legacy


In the early 1960s, Troutner co-founded Trus Joist Corporation, where he played a pivotal role in revolutionizing modern wood construction. Partnering with Harold Thomas, he helped develop composite wood products—most notably, the I-joist—that would go on to become a standard in both residential and commercial construction. These engineered solutions improved material efficiency, reduced environmental waste, and ushered in a new era of sustainable building practices. Trus Joist’s eventual national success can be traced directly to Troutner’s pioneering work.


The Floating Roof Aesthetic


A hallmark of Troutner’s residential design was his use of the “floating roof”—thin, low-pitched rooflines cantilevered dramatically beyond the walls, often appearing to hover above the structure. By concealing structural supports and extending over patios, these roofs dissolved the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces, embodying both modernist clarity and regional sensitivity. In Idaho, this approach became emblematic of a uniquely western take on mid-century modernism.


Compact and Community-Focused Designs


Not all of Troutner’s innovations were grand in scale. He also championed compact, efficient living, emphasizing design that worked harder within modest footprints. A prime example: the North End Corner Cottages in Boise—two small yet carefully crafted homes just 16 by 24 feet in size. With garages, two bedrooms, and living spaces oriented to take in views of nearby parks and foothills, these cottages proved that restraint could be both beautiful and deeply livable.


Commercial and Institutional Work


While best known for his residential designs, Troutner’s influence extended into the public realm as well. Most notably, he contributed engineering expertise to the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho. Completed in 1975, the Dome featured the world’s largest clear-span wood roof at the time, drawing directly from Troutner’s early research in wood-steel composite systems. The project cemented his role not only as a creative force but as a structural innovator with impact far beyond the walls of a single home.




Preserving Troutner's Vision


Today, Art Troutner’s contributions to architecture are no longer hidden in plain sight, but celebrated as touchstones of mid-century innovation and regional identity. Preservationists, scholars, and design enthusiasts have come to recognize his Boise-area homes not just as artifacts of a past era, but as enduring works of architectural ingenuity. These structures, often perched on cliffs, nestled into hillsides, or quietly commanding street corners, continue to attract collectors who value both their rarity and their brilliance.


Troutner’s legacy lies in his remarkable ability to fuse structural experimentation with sculptural beauty. He was an architect who thought like an engineer, and an engineer who designed like an artist—blurring boundaries long before it became a movement. Though many of his ideas were ahead of their time, they now serve as benchmarks for timeless design and site-responsive construction.


As his surviving works are restored and reappraised, Art Troutner’s influence continues to ripple outward. His buildings teach, inspire, and challenge us to reimagine what’s possible when vision meets invention. His legacy is not just etched into Idaho’s skyline, but into the future of architecture itself.


Typos? Not on our watch. This article has been fact-checked and finessed by the eagle-eyed editors at For The Writers. Have more to contribute or see something worth calling out? Let us know. This article was last revised on Saturday, June 21, 2025.

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