James Donovan was born in Hokitika in 1867 and spent much of his childhood accompanying his parents as they moved from one gold rush to another. After turning his hand to roadwork, gold mining, stable-minding and pit-sawing Donovan opened a store at the now extinct Lake Mapourika settlement with his wife, Eva. The Donovans lived in Mapourika until c1889 when they moved to Okarito to open the store which they ran for over fifty years.
Between 1912 and 1932 Jimmy Donovan also farmed at the nearby settlement of Whataroa, but it is for his work on the Westland County Council that he is best remembered. Donovan served as the representative of the Okarito Riding on the Council between 1893 and 1896, and again after 1925. In 1940, at the age of seventy-three, he served a term as council Chairman. By 1950 his store had become the last remaining shop in Okarito. In recent years it was run by Mr Keith Robertson, who bequeathed it to the Department of Conservation in 1987.
List Entry Information
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
5008
Date Entered
28th June 1990
Date of Effect
28th June 1990
City/District Council
Westland District
Region
West Coast Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as Sec 12 Town of Okarito, (RT WS3A/13, NZ Gazette 1990 p. 3432), Westland Land District and the building known as Donovan’s Store thereon.
Legal description
Sec 12 Town of Okarito, (RT WS3A/13, NZ Gazette 1990 p. 3432), Westland Land District
Status
Listed
List Entry Status
Historic Place Category 1
Access
Private/No Public Access
List Number
5008
Date Entered
28th June 1990
Date of Effect
28th June 1990
City/District Council
Westland District
Region
West Coast Region
Extent of List Entry
Extent includes the land described as Sec 12 Town of Okarito, (RT WS3A/13, NZ Gazette 1990 p. 3432), Westland Land District and the building known as Donovan’s Store thereon.
Legal description
Sec 12 Town of Okarito, (RT WS3A/13, NZ Gazette 1990 p. 3432), Westland Land District
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The old store is a visible reminder of the days when it was a hotel at a time when Okarito was a thriving gold rush town and the main port on the West Coast. It is associated with Jimmy Donovan, a local character who ran the store for over fifty years and was a prominent figure in Westland local body politics.
Physical Significance
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: Donovan's Store is a rare extant example of colonial corrugated iron construction. Using the most readily available materials and showing more concern with expediency than architectural pretension, the builder of Donovan's Store created a modest structure which has stood in Okarito for well over one hundred years. It is the oldest surviving building in the village and also one of the oldest surviving structures on the West Coast. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: Donovan's Store is one of the very few public buildings left in a settlement which once boasted a population of over five thousand people, and as such it attains a certain prominence within the sparse streetscape.
Why is this place significant?
Historic Significance
Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. The old store is a visible reminder of the days when it was a hotel at a time when Okarito was a thriving gold rush town and the main port on the West Coast. It is associated with Jimmy Donovan, a local character who ran the store for over fifty years and was a prominent figure in Westland local body politics.
Physical Significance
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY: Donovan's Store is a rare extant example of colonial corrugated iron construction. Using the most readily available materials and showing more concern with expediency than architectural pretension, the builder of Donovan's Store created a modest structure which has stood in Okarito for well over one hundred years. It is the oldest surviving building in the village and also one of the oldest surviving structures on the West Coast. TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK VALUE: Donovan's Store is one of the very few public buildings left in a settlement which once boasted a population of over five thousand people, and as such it attains a certain prominence within the sparse streetscape.
Construction Details
Start Year
1866
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1890
startYearCirca
Type
Modification
Description
Converted by James Donovan from a hotel into a store. Exact nature of modifications undertaken by Donovan unknown. In addition to installation of shop fittings, the living quarters may have been extended at this time.
Start Year
1888
Finish Year
1889
Type
Modification
Description
Windows on north and south walls covered with sheets of corrugated iron.
Construction Materials
Timber framing throughout. Front elevation of weatherboards. Corrugated iron roof, rear and side walls. External chimney corrugated iron. Concrete foundation.
Notable Features
The external chimney of corrugated iron.
Construction Details
Start Year
1866
Type
Original Construction
Start Year
1890
startYearCirca
Type
Modification
Description
Converted by James Donovan from a hotel into a store. Exact nature of modifications undertaken by Donovan unknown. In addition to installation of shop fittings, the living quarters may have been extended at this time.
Start Year
1888
Finish Year
1889
Type
Modification
Description
Windows on north and south walls covered with sheets of corrugated iron.
Construction Materials
Timber framing throughout. Front elevation of weatherboards. Corrugated iron roof, rear and side walls. External chimney corrugated iron. Concrete foundation.
Notable Features
The external chimney of corrugated iron.
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Donovan's Store is a typical colonial building with its simple box shape, gabled roof and lean-to addition at the rear. Standing only a few metres from the road, the building presents a gable end to the street. This wall is lined with flush weatherboards and bears the inscription "Jas DONOVAN STOREKEEPER" in peeling paint above the door. Two large windows, each divided into four panes, flank the centrally-placed entrance. The door opens directly into the shop which is lined with tongue and groove panelling and has built-in shelves and two large counters running along the north and east walls. A tiny stair hall just off the shop provides access to the bedrooms and to the loft which is lit by a window set into the apex of the rear gable. At the rear of the shop a doorway opens into a narrow hall which terminates at the back door. A kitchen, sitting room and two other rooms are contained within the lean-to behind the shop which is almost as long as the gabled section of the building. NB: ARCHITECT/ENGINEER/DESIGNER: It is not known who erected the building which was subsequently converted into a store by Jimmy Donovan, although judging from its 'style' and construction it was probably built by its original owner.
This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Donovan's Store is a typical colonial building with its simple box shape, gabled roof and lean-to addition at the rear. Standing only a few metres from the road, the building presents a gable end to the street. This wall is lined with flush weatherboards and bears the inscription "Jas DONOVAN STOREKEEPER" in peeling paint above the door. Two large windows, each divided into four panes, flank the centrally-placed entrance. The door opens directly into the shop which is lined with tongue and groove panelling and has built-in shelves and two large counters running along the north and east walls. A tiny stair hall just off the shop provides access to the bedrooms and to the loft which is lit by a window set into the apex of the rear gable. At the rear of the shop a doorway opens into a narrow hall which terminates at the back door. A kitchen, sitting room and two other rooms are contained within the lean-to behind the shop which is almost as long as the gabled section of the building. NB: ARCHITECT/ENGINEER/DESIGNER: It is not known who erected the building which was subsequently converted into a store by Jimmy Donovan, although judging from its 'style' and construction it was probably built by its original owner.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Public NZAA Number
H34/15
Completion Date
24th January 1990
Information Sources
Bishop, 1977
J Bishop & M Walker [comp], Westland County - a centennial album 1876-1976, Westland County Council, Hokitika, 1977
Doran, 1979
J S Doran, Whataroa, South Westland - a centennial report, 1879-1979, [2nd edition] Whataroa District Schools' Centennial Committee, Whataroa, 1979
Other Information
A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Southern Region office Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions. This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration.
Historical and Associated Iwi / Hapū / Whānau
Public NZAA Number
H34/15
Completion Date
24th January 1990
Information Sources
Bishop, 1977
J Bishop & M Walker [comp], Westland County - a centennial album 1876-1976, Westland County Council, Hokitika, 1977
Doran, 1979
J S Doran, Whataroa, South Westland - a centennial report, 1879-1979, [2nd edition] Whataroa District Schools' Centennial Committee, Whataroa, 1979
Other Information
A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Southern Region office Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions. This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration.
Former Usages
General Usage: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
Web Links
Former Usages
General Usage: Trade
Specific Usage: Shop
Web Links
Location
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