{"nrhp_refnum":"73000431","name":"Brick Row","other_names":["Kimball Block"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"A Ave. between 9th and 10th Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"National City","county":"San Diego County","state":"CA","lat":32.67475329300004,"lon":-117.10602665099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, ten-dwelling brick row house block on the west side of \"A\" Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets in National City, California, built in 1887-88 by city founder Frank Kimball.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a rare Philadelphia-style row house built from East Coast drawings, in contrast to the detached Victorian houses typical of California. It is described as the only structure of its type on the West Coast and as one of the first substantial buildings in National City. It is also tied to Kimball's efforts to bring a railroad to the town.","narrative":"Brick Row, also called the Kimball Block, is a block-long row of ten two-story dwellings on the west side of \"A\" Avenue in National City, California. Frank Kimball, the town's founder, built it between September 1887 and March 1888 using drawings sent from Philadelphia. The units are paired to look like five, each L-shaped with the plan reversed on alternate units, which creates U-shaped rear service yards. Walls are load-bearing brick, with more than 240,000 bricks, redwood framing, concrete lintels and a one-story wood porch with carved brackets along the front. Its Philadelphia row house design contrasted sharply with the detached Victorian houses common in California, and it is described as the only structure of its type on the West Coast. Local tradition says Kimball meant it to house railroad officials, though his own letters give no motive. The building remains in good condition and in use as homes and businesses.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (built September 1887 to March 1888)","architect_builder":"Frank Kimball (builder); contract to Mr. Hunt of Griffith & Hunt, San Francisco","architectural_style":"Victorian row house patterned after 19th Century Philadelphia architecture","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition described as good and slightly altered; occupied, with uses including private residence and commercial. Four of the original sixteen front chimneys remain.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.083241-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/73000431.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000431/8c1344dd4e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000431/8c1344dd4e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wmoraga","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brick_Row,_National_City,_CA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Wmoraga</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brick_Row,_National_City,_CA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860825","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5733838"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-diego-county/brick-row-73000431/"}