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Edna E. Kimbro—renowned architectural conservator and historian, specializing in the research and preservation of Spanish and Mexican colonial architecture and the material culture of early California—passed away from cancer on June 26, 2005 at the age of 57.
Kimbro was a respected contributor to the work of the Institute, serving as a preservation specialist for the Getty Seismic Adobe Project (GSAP). Her encyclopedic knowledge of California architecture was instrumental in helping GSAP's engineers and scientists develop seismic stabilization and retrofitting solutions for historic adobe structures that balanced safety with conservation.
During the 1980s she was involved in the restoration of the Santa Cruz Mission Adobe for California State Parks. As a state historian for the California State Parks system, she aided in the preservation of numerous adobe structures in Central California.
Kimbro received a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She studied seismic protection of historic adobe buildings at ICCROM in Rome. In 2003 she received the Norman Neuerburg Award from the California Mission Studies Association in recognition of her role as an advocate for the preservation and interpretation of California's mission past. Kimbro was working on a book on the California missions for the GCI at the time of her death.
Kimbro—who is survived by her husband and two sons—will be remembered for her enthusiasm, indomitable spirit, and substantial contribution to the preservation of Californias historic adobe architecture.
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