Summary

Black and white silver gelatin photograph featuring the east ends of Building 4, Roll Film, on the right and Building 5, Sheet Film, on the left, Kodak factory, Coburg, late 1959.

At this stage of construction both buildings had been completed along with the services gantry located on the side of the roadway running past the east ends of these buildings. Both Roll Film and Sheet Film operations had been transferred from the old Abbotsford factory, and production was underway in Buildings 4 and 5 respectively. Garden beds, lawns and shrubs had been planted around these buildings to complete the surrounding environment.

The main entrance to Building 4 was inset halfway along the south side. There were windows towards the west for the office area and next to the loading dock, where master coated rolls were accepted and finished products were shipped. Windows east of the entrance were for the Field Engineering Maintenance Group which serviced production equipment in both buildings. The windows at the near east end were for a small plant room which included the condensate return tank and pumps. The main entrance to Building 5 was inset into the north wall (opposite to that of Building 4) with its only loading dock on the unseen south wall.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as, film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005 after the manufacturing plant at Coburg had closed down the year before.

Description of Content

This streetscape looking west features the windows, loading docks and entrance on the south wall of Building 4 on the right. To the left are manicured lawns and shrubs surrounding the north front of Building 5, with the services gantry running across the ends of each building. Two men can be seen at the entrance to Building 5.

Physical Description

Black and white silver gelatin photograph printed on light weight paper, landscape format.

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