Meet Adam Wagoner | Architect, Educator and Podcast Host

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Wagoner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I love jointly parenting our kids with my rockstar architect wife, who also works full-time. It’s not always easy, but we work hard to share all the household responsibilities. I don’t know if this is the biggest impact that I’ve had on my children, but I’m the one who does all of the grocery shopping and cooking in our house. I had a proud moment when our four-year-old daughter saw a woman cooking dinner on TV and said, “That’s silly, moms don’t cook!” For me that was a (small) proud moment where I could show our kids that things in life don’t have to be done only one way.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have started four different architecture firms at different times and stages in my life. The first time I fell into starting a firm at age 23 it was with my wife right out of undergrad in the midst of the Great Recession. We received a commission to design a new hotdog restaurant for my vegetarian doctor Uncle in the middle of Kansas. After moving around the world to go to different grad schools and work for a variety of firms, I started a new solo practice. After a year of that, I discovered that I was not made to work by myself and joined with another firm. After two years of that experience, I decided it was now time to start a new kind of architecture firm, during COVID, with a newborn, partnering remotely with friends on the East Coast. After two years of that, I finally realized that I had a unique vision that I needed to pursue by myself. Now, with this fourth firm High, Low, Buffalo, I am more fulfilled than I’ve ever been in my career and have been able to gather my many and varied experiences and ups and downs into this new vehicle towards the goal of stirring souls and uplifting people’s daily lives in their new custom homes that we jointly design together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live just north of downtown and love to stay within my little bubble of LoDO, the Highlands and Sunnyside where I can get about anything I need. If someone came to visit me in Denver (and especially if they are an architect, which most of my friends are) I would, of course have to take them to the Clyfford Still Museum, grab coffee at the Populous Hotel, visit the MCA to see what is on rotation, swing by Union Station and then grab Navajo tacos at Kachina Cantina in the Dairy Block. Then we would go by REI to see what gear is on sale and chill out by the Confluence. For happy hour I’d take them to Avanti or the Family Jones. If they are paying for dinner, we’d go to Wolfe’s Taylor or if I was covering the bill we’d hit up Kiki‘s Red tacos. From there, we’d move on to Death and Co, and then finish up the night at the High Lonesome.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would give my biggest shout out to my wife, Rebekah Wagoner. She is my best friend and biggest supporter. She has always been allowed me to take crazy risks and chase after my next “shiny opportunity” because she believes in me and wants me to be fulfilled in what I do.

Website: https://www.highlowbuffalo.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/high.low.buffalo_arch & https://www.instagram.com/architecting_podcast/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-wagoner-2211323a/

Image Credits
The first photograph of me interviewing Ron Radziner at the Denver Botanic Gardens was by the Unfound Door.

The other photography is by Visual+Aid Productions