Summary

Colour aerial photograph of the Kodak factory complex at Coburg, 1965.

The single storey building at the front is Building 6, the Distribution Centre. The building behind this to the left is Building 5, where sheet films were produced. Situated behind this is Building 4 where roll films were produced. Building 3, to the rear of Building 4 is the Emulsion Coating Building. The multi-storey building to the far right of the complex is Building 8, the Head Office. To the rear of the complex where the chimney is located is Building 11, the Power House. To the left of the Powerhouse are the engineering workshops. The building at the back of the complex, close to the suburban housing is Building 20, the Processing Plant.

Construction of the Kodak factory complex in Coburg began in 1957 on 23 hectares of former farmland. Since 1908, Kodak had been operating from the factory in Abbotsford and had gradually outgrown the premises. The Abbotsford factory remained operational while the Coburg plant was being built until it closed in1966. Architect Harry Norris of H A & F L Norris & Associates, created the design for the new factory and individual buildings for the manufacture of silver halide photographic products. The building contract was awarded to Lewis Constructions Pty Ltd. The still uncompleted complex was officially opened on 14 April 1961 by the Prime Minister, Robert G. Menzies with Dr. A Chapman, President of Eastman Kodak Company, in attendance. The complex was the national headquarters of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd.

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, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.

Description of Content

Photograph of an aerial view of a factory complex. In the fore and middle ground of the image is the factory complex featuring single storey hanger style buildings to the left. To the right is a multi-storey building with a car park in front. To the rear of the complex is a chimney and water cooling towers. In the background and to the right of the image is suburban housing.

Physical Description

Colour photograph printed on medium weight paper with a white border.

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