Frank Kimball House
921 A Avenue, National City CA 91950

Courtesy Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)

Courtesy Anita Cervantes (pinterest)

THE HOME OF NATIONAL CITY'S FOUNDER, Frank Kimball and wife Sara, is the oldest existing building in the South Bay. While the home suffered some remodeling during the Arts and Crafts era, it remains mostly intact and in its original colors. The majority of the furnishings, paintings, and other artifacts in the museum belonged to the Kimball family, although not all are from the Frank Kimball home. They primarily from brothers Warren and George's National City homes. One of the key pieces in the collection is from the Warren Kimball estate; it is the marquetry partner's desk, which Warren made for his wife Flora. She was a professional writer of note. Flora was one of San Diego's earliest and foremost horticulturalists and a national figure of the feminist movement. The desk was a symbol of Warren and Flora's life together, made from California redwood and native woods from their respective hometowns in New England.

Historic American Buildings Survey LINK