Kimball Block
According to National City folklore, Frank Kimball built Brick Row, later called the Kimball Block, in 1887-88 to provide housing for officials of the railroad, the Texas & Pacific, which he tried so desperately to bring to National City. This certainly may have been his original intention as he bought the land upon which the structure stands in 1872 and the drawings for the building were from Philadelphia, the home office of the Texas & Pacific. It was designed by San Diego architect R. C. Ball and is the only structure of its type on the West Coast. Over 240,000 bricks were used for the ten units. An early resident of the Kimball Block was legendary marshal Wyatt Earp who came to Southern California after being indicted in Arizona for shooting the men who’d killed his brother. Brick Row is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National City, San Diego City
Photographer: John Bare