Lindalyn Adams, who spearheaded the creation of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, has died. The museum confirmed her death on Sept. 8 in a statement published online.

Beginning in 1977, Adams worked to gain support to turn the former Texas School Book Depository building, which was then in danger of being demolished, into a historical display of the tragic event that came to define Dallas for decades.

“Anyone who has ever had a meaningful visit to the sixth floor and looked out those arched windows at the landscape of Dealey Plaza owes her a debt of gratitude,” said the statement from The Sixth Floor Museum.

Adams worked with historian Conover Hunt to develop the museum, which opened to the public in 1989. In doing so, the proud Dallasite also helped the city come to terms with the assassination and its aftermath.

“I went from not wanting to even look in that direction to realizing that something needed to be done,” she told CBS News in 2013.

The Sixth Floor Museum said Adams helped place the Kennedy assassination within the proper context of 20^th century American history and culture.

“She aided a wounded community internalize one of the most tragic moments in its modern history,” the museum statement said.

Adams worked with nearly every historical organization in the city from the Dallas Historical Society to Dallas Heritage Village. She led the creation of the Dallas County Historical Foundation, and she served as its chairman from 1975 to 1983. In 1981, she became the first woman to become president of the Dallas Historical Society. She also played a part in the preservation of the Dallas County Administration Building and the Old Red Courthouse.

In 2019, Dallas County dubbed Adams as the county’s “First Lady of Historic Preservation.” Adams’ family said she died following a recent stroke. She was 91 years old.

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