He helped design prominent Columbus buildings. Bob Kidd dies at 62
Robert N. “Bob” Kidd Sr., the Columbus architect who helped design some of the Chattahoochee Valley’s most prominent buildings, has died.
Kidd died peacefully Sunday at home, surrounded by his family, according to his obituary. He was 62.
Kidd was the CEO of Hecht Burdeshaw Architects. Hecht Burdeshaw president Timothy Jensen told the Ledger-Enquirer that Kidd was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer during late summer of last year.
“For us, Bob was a very dear friend,” said Jensen, who worked with Kidd for more than 30 years. “He was somebody we looked forward to seeing day-in and day-out. You could always depend on his very calm and balanced nature. He was the kind of person that you like to work with, always had a kind word to say to pretty much anybody.”
The building projects Kidd worked on include Feeding the Valley, Mercer University School of Medicine’s Columbus campus, Dorothy Height Elementary School, Easter Seals of West Georgia, Valley Healthcare System’s south Columbus facility, Columbus Hospice House addition, Northside High School auditorium, Columbus Public Library and Columbus Health and Human Services headquarters.
Kidd approached architecture with the client’s objective as the priority, not form over function, Jensen said.
“He wanted it to be useful and practical,” Jensen said. “… Some architects are totally bent on the aesthetic. That was always important to Bob, but he never was interested in compromising the functionality of a building simply to make it appealing.”
Kidd served on community boards for the Historic Columbus Foundation, United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus Board of Historic and Architectural Review and Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation (2009-10 chairman).
He also was a member of Rotary Club of Columbus, Kiwanis Club and Leadership Columbus Alumni. At Northside Baptist Church, he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and member of finance and teller and usher committees.
Jensen saw community organizations benefit from the servant leadership and teamwork Kidd brought to Hecht Burdeshaw and clients.
“He was very logical and methodical in how he approached things, and that served him well in many capacities, with problem solving and unique solutions,” Jensen said. “. . . He was just a very kind person who had good sense.”
Just ask Jennifer St. John, vice president of community impact for the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley. Kidd was the organization’s Volunteer of the Year in 2017.
“Over the years, Bob Kidd served in numerous volunteer and leadership roles for United Way,” St. John said in an email to the L-E. “He shared his passion, commitment, leadership, and vision for working together to support children, families, and our community. He was an inspiration to our staff, other volunteers, and our entire community. . . . We are truly grateful for his leadership, support, and friendship. Bob will be remembered and deeply missed.”
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation already had decided to honor Kidd at its May 5 Teacher of the Year Gala for his service as chairman, treasurer and 15 years as a board member by giving him this year’s Jim Buntin Leadership Award for Excellence in Education, named after the retired Muscogee County School District superintendent. Now, “it will be given in memory and grateful appreciation of Bob’s work to recognize and reward exceptional teachers,“ Marquette McKnight, the foundation’s executive director, told the L-E in an email.
“He was a terrific supporter of exceptional teachers, and I don’t think he ever missed a Teacher of the Year Gala, where most teachers would remember him fondly as the man who helped them on or off the stage,” McKnight said. “He was a kind, gentle man who was gracious and well-respected and was involved in so many aspects of making our community better.”
The family will receive friends April 26, from 5-7 p.m., at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 4071 Macon Road. The funeral will be in the mortuary’s Edgewood Hall on April 27 at 11 a.m.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 10:51 AM.
