Helping Others Succeed

When James "Jim" A. Barrett, AIA, B.Arch’87, was a student at The Boston Architectural College (BAC), the professional architects who volunteered their time as instructors and thesis advisors were an inspiration. “The time they gave was so meaningful to me,” he says. “The benefit they gave me was just so great. It made me want to reach the point where I could do something similar.” Since graduation, Jim has certainly achieved that goal — and then some.

Jim has been a principal since 1999 with Drummey Rosane Anderson, Inc. (DRA Architects), a firm with studios in Waltham, Massachusetts and South Windsor, Connecticut. DRA, celebrating its 100th year of practice this year, is focused on civic architecture with a portfolio specializing in the design of educational environments — schools, colleges, and universities — and Jim has spent his career creating sustainable and innovative buildings that help students succeed. For Jim, supporting learners in their journeys is a passion that runs deep, overflowing from his workday and into his free time.

“I just think it is ingrained in those who studied at The Boston Architectural College,” he says, “this idea that, since the BAC is there for you along the way, that you should give back to the college, to try to pay it forward.” Jim’s dedication to the BAC and its philanthropic pursuits has been remarkably consistent.

A current member of the Board of Trustees, Jim has been giving his time to the BAC since the late eighties. He and Sharon, his wife, have been generous financial donors to the college since 2014, most recently committing to a $25,000 matching gift challenge, which they hope will inspire community members to join them in donating to the BAC’s newly established Pre-College Design Access Fund.

This new fund will help minimize the barrier of entry to the BAC’s Pre-College Programs by directly supporting students interested in exploring a career in architecture and design — but who do not have the financial resources to participate. The Pre-College Design Access Fund will focus on giving access to students, both locally and across the globe, eager to dip their toes in the design world.

Two of the BAC’s most popular pre-college programs include Summer Academy, and, for those students drawn to urban planning and design, the Urban Design and Planning Fellowship. “Hopefully,” says Jim, “several young students will now have the opportunity to explore design, and see if there’s a fit for them there.”

The BAC’s Pre-College Access Fund will enable young adults to access collegiate-level studies that would otherwise not be available to them. The purpose lies close to Jim’s heart. When asked to describe the potential impact of the gift, his mind travels back to his own transformative experience in high school.

He grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania, just outside of Scranton. Fascinated by all things design, in his senior year Jim heard that Keystone College, located nearby in La Plume, PA, was offering high-school students an opportunity to study arts programs. He quickly signed up for a course in the foundry.

“It was a medium that I had never explored,” says Jim, of metal casting. The experience of exploring lost wax metal casting has never left him. “It was totally eye-opening for me, to be able to really explore the design process. And I was just so excited by how a collegiate environment could expose you to experiences that just weren’t otherwise available.” With this gift, he hopes the BAC’s Pre-College Design Access Fund can help unlock similar opportunities for others.

Following high school, Jim enrolled at the University of Connecticut, where he studied interior design. After graduation, though, he knew architecture would be his vocation, and he started exploring schools. In 1984, a friend told him about the BAC.

“I really knew nothing about it. He told me I just had to go and visit,” he says. “And I immediately fell in love. The possibility of concurrent learning through professional employment and the BAC’s classroom and studio environment was something I was particularly excited to be part of.”

During his time at the BAC, he worked with a small architectural practice in Boston, and he continued with them after graduation. “I really feel that the training at the BAC gave me a great opportunity to be a contributing part of a firm early on.” A year later, he moved to DRA Architects, and started paying it forward almost immediately.

“As soon as I graduated,” he says, “I looked for opportunities to give back.” He was a studio instructor, a thesis advisor, and a portfolio reviewer. “And about ten years ago, I became part of the Alumni Advisory Council, and later on, I was asked to join the Board of Trustees.”

The way he saw it, it was his duty. But it was hardly a burden. The sheer pleasure of remaining involved in a place dear to his heart, and the satisfaction of helping students find their feet in the design world, kept driving him. “There’s a lot of love in it,” he says. “A lot of joy.”

Matching every additional donor’s gift, dollar for dollar up to $25,000 to the Pre-College Design Access Fund comes very much from Jim’s entire family. “Sharon and I think together about where we feel we can contribute to things that are most meaningful to us,” he says. “She knows the impact that the BAC had on me, and the opportunity it gave me to explore architecture and design.”

Today, Jim and Sharon are excited to see the new fund grow and help inspire pre-college students over countless future summers. “I strongly believe that these opportunities are very meaningful to young people,” he says. “They stick with people for decades and help shape them going forward.”

Learn more and support the Pre-College Design Access Fund. Every gift will be matched through June 23, 2023, thanks to the generosity of Jim and Sharon Barrett.