Richard William Edmund Perrin was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 14 March 1909.
Perrin began his career working for the architect Richard Philipp in 1927, while at
the same time studying for a degree in architecture. During the 1930s, Perrin also
worked for other architects in Milwaukee. He officially registered as a Wisconsin
architect in 1939.
Perrin began working for the City of Milwaukee in 1944 in the Housing Authority,
later becoming its Executive Director in 1946. In 1961, Perrin became the Executive
Director of the Redevelopment Authority, as well as the Executive Secretary of the
City Plan Commission. That same year, he also became the Director, and later
Commissioner, of the Department of City Development. In 1964, he became the Chairman
of the Landmarks Commission for the City of Milwaukee. During this time, Perrin
directed various housing and urban renewal projects as well as designating certain
Milwaukee area buildings as landmarks. He retired from the City, and all of these
positions, in 1971.
Perrin also served in numerous committees and societies, such as the National Trust
for Historic Preservation and the Wisconsin Architectural Archive. From 1934-1935,
Perrin worked for the Historic American Buildings Survey, measuring and documenting
historic buildings in Wisconsin. He later became an advisory member from 1961-1963.
He was also a member of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, and was
its President from 1973-1974. Perrin became a member of the American Institute of
Architects in 1944 and a Fellow in 1961. As a member of the State Historical Society
of Wisconsin, Perrin was on the Old World Wisconsin Outdoor Museum Committee from
1964-1980, assisting in its creation.
After Perrin retired, he remained active and continued his work with a focus on
restoration and preservation of historic structures and sites. Throughout his
career, he wrote numerous articles and several books on this topic, including Historic Wisconsin Architecture (1976) and Historic Wisconsin Buildings (1981). He also received
many awards and citations for his work, including the Governor’s Award in the Arts
(1971) for his dedication to preserving Wisconsin’s architecture, and the Award of
Merit from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1976) for his support in the
establishment of Old World Wisconsin. Perrin died on 14 January 1990.
