Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Gord Hunter
|
The Heritage
For a guy from St. Thomas, Ontario, Kim Donovan could easily pass for a native Kingstonian. It’s not just his astounding knowledge of local geography and history or his encyclopedic understanding of community issues; it’s the unbridled enthusiasm he has for the city, the people and the architecture.
Standing in the British Whig Building amidst workers putting the finishing touches on a five-year restoration project of the 19th century structure, Donovan paints a bright and shining portrait of Kingston as a world class city.
“We’ve got everything we need here and anything we don’t have we should be building.” Says the President of Kincore Holdings Ltd.
“We should be attracting the rest of the world to come and see us.”
With sunlight flooding through windows that overlook the market below, Donovan’s confident optimism permeates a conversation that starts out with his thoughts on the revitalization of Market Square (Donovan is the chair of the cabinet for the market Square fundraising project).
“I believe that it’s going to take a three-season space and really help complete it into a four-season space,” said Donovan.
“It’s going to be the touchstone for urban renewal in downtown Kingston. It’s the first piece of the puzzle and we’re going to put finishes in place that are going to be of such a high quality nature that it’s going to say to people, “this is what we mean when talk about the future of our city.”
Kim Donovan has had a lot to do with that future. As President of Kincore he has been a major force in revitalizing the downtown core. In 2001, Kincore completed renovations on the Brock Street Common, turning what was once a virtually abandoned courtyard into a decorative and historic carriage-way. Donovan points out that the official building plan describe the open courtyard concept as “lungs” and believes open space like the Brock Street Common can breathe life into a development.
“When KEDCO and the Chamber of Commerce were asked to move into the mid-block location (in the Brock Street Common) there was some angst about parking and how people would find them.” Said Donovan.
“But where better to tell the Kingston story than up a pedestrian carriage-way in a mid-block courtyard? It’s a part of the differentiation – to have meanderings and to happen upon things as you walk through a vibrant part of the city.”
Although Donovan and Kincore own the British Whig Building he doesn’t see it as simply a part of his development portfolio.
“This is a community asset to a large extent,” he said.
“These wonderful old buildings need to be viewed as a resource not as something to be demolished.”
Donovan acknowledges that tearing down old structures and building from scratch is far cheaper and easier, but contends that it negates the positive results of a successful restoration.
“Restoration offers several interesting challenges. When you go through these buildings you inevitably find things you didn’t expect. However, we think that the space that you end up with is worth the challenge and you end up with a space that people celebrate living and working in,” said Donovan.
A tour though the nearly completed 24,000 square feet proves that indeed the potential office space is full of unique interior wall accented by original brick advertising and tons of natural light. The rooftop is a crowing jewel to the building with its stunning view of downtown, RMC and the harbour. Covered in wooden decking and fitted water gardens in the warmer months, the roof will provide a park-like atmosphere at the top of the city.
The public will be invited to view the culmination of the 5-year project on April 9th during an open house.
Donovan says that when they opened the Brock Street Common to the public in 2001, they had over 2,000 people through the doors. He is hopeful that the British Whig Building will draw as many or more.
“We hope we’re just inundated. We hope there’s thousands of community residents that come and view and celebrate what we really think is truly a revitalization.”
When asked about what kind of future he sees for development in Kingston, Donovan’s vision is a panorama that includes the Davis Tannery site, the Large Venue Entertainment Centre and Block D and he isn’t fazed by some of the controversy surrounding these locations.
“We can’t save our way out of the challenges we face with our infrastructure and the other difficulties that have resulted over the last several years,” said Donovan.
“We must invest and prosper our way forward. It’s an abundance philosophy we must bring to these issues. I’d like to challenge the city, the residents of the city and those that are making decisions about our future to seize the possibility that his city is and should be world class city.”
With a track record like Kim Donovan’s and the contagious enthusiasm he brings to his work, it’s easy to imagine he’ll be an integral part of Kingston succeeding in that challenge.
|
| |
 |
Kincore Chief Helps Create "World Class" City |
|
|
|
