Summary

Colour aerial photograph of the construction of the Kodak factory complex at Coburg, 1961. In this colour aerial photograph looking due West from the Coburg construction site, the externally completed Building 14, Garage, can be seen in the foreground with the partially constructed Building 15, Cameras, Reels & Sundries, behind and further downhill from it. These two buildings were located on the North side of Biggs Road shown on the left of picture with its electricity supply poles on the South side of the road. A temporary construction road can be seen on the right of picture following the site boundary around the bank of Edgars Creek. Beyond the creek and in centre of picture is the original dairy farm with residences and light industrial buildings on the horizon beyond Newlands Road.

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.

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 construction site. In the foreground is a roof. In the mid ground is a cleared area with two single storey buildings in the process of being built. In the background is cleared farmland and suburban housing.

Physical Description

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

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