September 2016 — Health Care Properties Quarterly —
Page 15
Profile
by Jennifer Hayes
Two architects are sitting on a bus …
While it sounds more like the
start of a bad joke than the begin-
nings of a new job, it was a seren-
dipitous meeting two years ago that
spurred a friendship and later a
new path for Gary Prager, a veteran
Denver architect who specializes in
the senior living industry.
It was on an early morning bus
ride in Nashville that Prager and the
only other person on the bus, a fel-
low architect from Baltimore, who
also happened to be attending the
same conference Prager was, struck
up a conversation.
The pair quickly discovered not
only a shared affinity for the senior
living market but also a num-
ber of common friends. Over the
years, their friendship endured and
prompted Prager to look to Hord
Coplan Macht when circumstances
changed at his former firm.
In June, Prager, AIA, NCARB, LEED
AP, CDT, joined Hord Coplan Macht
as principal to lead the firm’s senior
living team in Denver.
Prager, who joined the firm
with 39 years of experience as an
architect, has more than 35 years
of experience in the senior living
market. Prager will be responsible
for expanding Hord Coplan Macht’s
senior living practice in Denver
and overseeing senior health care,
memory care, and assisted and
independent living projects.
But it shouldn’t come a surprise
that Prager has been in the industry
for nearly four decades, as architec-
ture has been a passion of his since
his youth.
“It’s a silly story,” recalled Prager.
“I was in the Boy Scouts and was
looking at merit badges I could earn
and stumbled upon drafting and
architecture.”
Intrigued, Prager met with the
only architect in his small Con-
necticut town, which cemented his
fascination with the industry.
Following graduation from New
York Institute of Technology with a
Bachelor of Science in architecture,
Prager began his career in New York
before moving to Denver in 1979.
It was in Denver that he was first
introduced to working in senior liv-
ing, previously having worked as a
“generalist.”
Prager and his wife, with whom
he has three children and five
grandchildren, returned to New
York for a short time before mak-
ing Denver their permanent home.
He worked for 11 years with Lantz-
Boggio Architects before serving as
principal of Van Tilburg, Banvard
& Soderbergh for 12 years. Most
recently he was at H+L Architecture,
where he served as senior life prac-
tice leader.
Over his career, collaboration has
been a constant to his success and
the success of the projects he has
been a part of, he noted.
“Collaboration is key. The rela-
tionship between the architect and
contractor is key,” said Prager. “But
it’s not just the relationship with
contractors, it’s with everyone. It
is about respect. Everyone brings
value to the table.”
Prager's biggest rewards are when
end users of projects he's been a
part of realize that value.
“When the users of our buildings
benefit from the design of a proj-
ect I did, it’s the best reward,” said
Prager. “I remember at an opening,
overhearing two elderly women
sitting in wingback chairs saying,
‘Don’t you just love it here?’ It was
the best thing I ever heard. It’s all
about users benefitting from what
we do.”
The constant and fast-changing
nature of the senior living industry
is the most challenging aspect for
Prager, who notes that the chal-
lenge also inspires him to lead his
team to find the right solutions for
clients.
As for his success and longevity
within the senior housing industry,
Prager credits a simple philosophy.
“I try to go above and beyond for
my clients, especially the nonprof-
its, as I believe in their mission. I
expect greatness out of my team
and they expect it out of me. We try
to bring out the best in design for
the benefit of the users,” comment-
ed Prager. “Just because they are
moving into a facility, doesn’t mean
you have to give up your lifestyle. It
should be a place you want to be.”
Prager, too, is at a place he wants
to be.
“After almost 40 years, I still get
up in the morning and say I get to
go to work. I love what I do – not
just the people I work with but
the people I serve. It’s a rewarding
field.”
s
Gary Prager
‘I love what I
do – not just the
people I work
with but the
people I serve. It’s
a rewarding field.’
