Colonial Williamsburg, 1927-1954, undated

These records document Kimball's work on the Advisory Committee of Architects for Colonial Williamsburg, Incorporated, a non-profit institution dedicated to the restoration of the colonial and historic buildings of Williamsburg, Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg, Incorporated was founded in 1926 by Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church of Williamburg, and received financial support from philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. The Boston architectural firm of Perry, Shaw & Hepburn was appointed to oversee the restoration work. In late 1927, William Perry contacted Fiske Kimball to make arrangements to show him restoration plans for the main building at College of William and Mary, the first structure to undergo renovation. A year later, Kimball along with several other noteworthy architects was appointed to a newly created Advisory Committee of Architects, a position he held until at least 1952.

As an Advisor, Kimball participated in annual meetings to discuss the progress of the restoration, and sometimes served as Secretary. Between meetings, he corresponded regularly with Perry, Shaw and Hepburn as well as with various staff members of Colonial Williamsburg, Inc. in order to keep abreast of developments. Comprised of correspondence and enclosed meeting minutes, architectural drawings, and ephemera, the records document Kimball's strong interest in the project and his support of a historically accurate renovation. For example, Kimball wrote to Perry, Shaw and Hepburn on March 13, 1929, criticizing a proposal to widen the pavilion on the main building of William and Mary College to make it more visually pleasing, "To take an old building, and under the guide of restoration, change a surviving feature into something entirely different, seems to me wholly unjustifiable...."