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Forty-seven years after his 1970 graduation, Perham was headed back to Stratford High School to see the $125-million renovation on his alma mater come to life.
“This was one of the most meaningful groundbreakings of my career,” said Perham, a principal with Bridgeport-based Antinozzi Associates Architecture and Interior Design. “As I stood there with a shovel in hand, I thought back to 47 years ago when I drew my first architectural line here.”
Antinozzi worked on the new 236,000-square-foot addition and renovations that will create a state-of-the-art school faculty and students.
Perham credits his high school drafting teacher, Mr. Kekacks, with nurturing his love of drawing.
“I totally fell in love with the idea of drawing lines with pencil and straight edges that actually turned into places to live, work and play,” Perham said. “I still have the drawings for one of the projects – a vacation home for a wealthy client.”
At the groundbreaking, Perham joined other town and regional dignitaries in taking the first turn of dirt to mark the opening of the project, which is slated for completion in 2020.
“I took a moment to walk down one of the corridors I walked many times as a student at Stratford High,” Perham said. “In a moment, I realized how lucky I was to have achieved my dream, and I have my teachers and guidance counselors at the school to thank.
“I don’t know of any one of my colleagues that have had this opportunity. I’m looking forward to seeing the school transform with my company’s design.”
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