at home
DESIGN GURU
Kevin Cogan
JEFFERSON DEVELOPMENT GROUP
“C
BY DAWN ANDERSON PORTRAIT BY DICK ARNSPIGER COURTESY BUILDING PHOTOS
reativity has no boundaries,” declares Jefferson Development Group (JDG) CEO/Owner Kevin Cogan. His creative vision allows him to see potential in properties that others do not see or have the fortitude to carry out. Cogan has never let himself become overwhelmed by the enormity of a project, “From the beginning almost 40 years ago, I took on projects I could comprehend.” His process allows him to forge ahead step by step, piece by piece, without feeling intimidated, “To be able to scale the mountain, implementation is as important as aspiration.” He evaluates each stage in the process to stay within or reset reasonable expectations of budget, time scope, and all team members’ capabilities. Kevin Cogan has a great affinity for the history of architecture and the history of the city of Louisville, and by extension, the “significant character” of Louisville architecture. As imaginative as JDG projects are, they always manage to reflect or give the nod to an era or design style in keeping with the neighborhood aesthetic. The majority of Cogan’s early projects were in the Highlands, including Worth Plaza in the late 1980s.
108 TOPS LOUISVILLE | January 2021