Donovan's Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Donovan's Store |
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Donovan's Store in 2020
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| General information | |
| Type | Commercial |
| Address | 17 The Strand |
| Town or city | Ōkārito |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 43°13′20.12″S 170°9′53.95″E / 43.2222556°S 170.1649861°E |
| Opened | c. 1866 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Timber, corrugated iron |
| Designated: | 28 June 1990 |
| Reference #: | 5008 |
Donovan's Store is a very old wooden building in Ōkārito, New Zealand. It is located on the West Coast of the South Island. This building is the oldest wooden structure in the Westland area. It was first built in the 1860s as a hotel. Later, in the 1890s, it became a general store and stayed open for more than 60 years. Today, Donovan's Store is a special historic place, listed as a Category 1 building. This means it is very important and should be protected.
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History of Donovan's Store
The building we now know as Donovan's Store was originally called the Club Hotel. It was built on The Strand in Ōkārito around 1865 or 1866. This was during the exciting time of the gold rush in the area.
From Hotel to General Store
In the 1890s, the hotel was changed into a general store. A man named James Donovan (who lived from 1867 to 1960) and his wife, Eva Donovan, ran the store. They kept it open for about 60 years! The store served people who lived in Ōkārito. It also provided supplies to gold miners and people who cut flax. James Donovan was well-known for taking supplies to gold prospectors who lived in isolated areas. The store mostly sold food. But it also offered many other things like household items, fabric, and tools.
New Owners and Restoration
James Donovan ran the store until the 1950s. Then, he sold it to Keith Robertson, who people called Robbie, from Whataroa. Robbie ran the store part-time until 1965.
In 1987, Robbie left the building to the Historic Places Trust in his will. The Trust then passed the building to the Department of Conservation (DOC) in 1988. In 1990, the Trust gave Donovan's Store a Category 1 listing. This meant it was a very important building that should be saved.
The building started to fall apart, but the local community decided to fix it up in the 1990s. They thought it could be used as a library. In 1994, DOC started a five-year project to restore the building. The Ōkārito Community Association helped a lot, giving $100,000 towards the repairs. The community now owns and helps maintain the building with DOC.
Important Visitors
In 2009, the Governor-General of New Zealand, Anand Satyanand, visited Donovan's Store. He stopped by during his trip to the West Coast.
How it was Built
The front part of Donovan's Store is the oldest section. A smaller part, called a lean-to, was added to the back later on. When people worked to restore the store, they found it was built using different types of wood. These included native New Zealand timbers like kauri, rimu, and kahikatea. They also found imported Baltic pine. This Baltic pine might have come from old shipwrecks. The sides and back of the building are covered with corrugated iron, which is a strong metal material.
What it is Used for Today
Since 1990, Donovan's Store has been officially recognized by Heritage New Zealand. It is a Category I structure, with the registration number 5008.
Today, the building is used as the Ōkārito Community Library. Some of the books for the library come from the Westland District Library.
