Kodak Building 9

Kodak Building 9 was a recreation centre for employees at the Kodak Mount Dennis Campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Kodak building 9 surrounded by brownfields, circa 2010

History

Built in 1939, Building 9 was operated by the Eastman Kodak Company from 1940 to 2006, when the company ceased operations at the campus.[1][2][3] It is the only building standing in the campus, while the other 15 buildings of the campus were demolished.[1][2]

The building was an entertainment and recreation facility for employees featuring a gym/auditorium, cafeteria, weight room and change rooms. There were darkrooms for photo enthusiasts. The basement had several conference rooms which were used for employee training.[1]

Abandonment and reuse

Following its abandonment, the building was heavily vandalized. There were proposals to elevate the building to a national historic site status in order to preserve it, while local residents requested the building to be used for public recreational purposes.[4][5][6][7] Peter Gatt of the Photographic Museum of Ontario asked for the building to be the museum's new home.[4]

In 2013, the campus was purchased by Metrolinx to become the site of the Mount Dennis metro station and bus terminal. The main floor will be a station entrance while the three floors above will be reserved for future use.[8]

In August 2016, the building was moved to a temporary site for construction of the LRT station.[9] In November 2017, it was moved back to its original position.

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References
  1. Ken Shaddock (2013-05-06). "Memories of a former Kodak employee: Ken Shaddock started in the order department at Kodak in 1967 and worked his way up to sales and marketing operations before he retired in 2001". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2013-09-16. Kodak came to Canada in 1899 and moved twice in Toronto due to rapid growth before the company bought 48 acres in Mt. Dennis in 1912 — the site that would become known as Kodak Heights and become one of the largest employers in the area.
  2. Rachel Mendleson (2013-10-02). "Crosstown LRT project reveals — and respects — Eglinton's history". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2013-10-03. Building 9, the former Kodak employee building, is the last remnant of Kodak Heights. The derelict building will become the "heart" of Mount Dennis station.
  3. "Kodak's Building 9 was once employee hub of Toronto complex". Toronto Sun. 2013-06-22. Archived from the original on 2013-09-16. Retrieved 2015-06-09. In 2013, the last remaining building became home to squatters, teenage graffiti artists, and the property of Metrolinx, the government organization that oversees public transportation in the GTA.
  4. James Armstrong (2013-09-13). "Community wants to preserve Kodak building while Metrolinx plans LRT station". Global TV News. Retrieved 2015-06-09. Building 9, located on Eglinton Avenue just west Black Creek Drive, was built in 1940 and served as a key part of Kodak’s manufacturing centre until 2006 when it was closed.
  5. Patty Winsa (2013-05-08). "Weston-Mount Dennis residents want Metrolinx to preserve last Kodak building". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-03-25. Mount Dennis is a sort of company town originally with Kodak as the major employer. A lot of people have a strong emotional attachment to it," said Simon Chamberlain, a community activist. "With Kodak gone, this is the one bit of legacy that is left. And it’s one of the few significant historical buildings in the community.
  6. Bessie Sunshine (2014-02-12). "A drive to refocus the former Kodak lands". York Guardian. Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. The 23-hectare site of the former Kodak lands should house more than LRT vehicles, Frampton said, adding unlike most communities across the city, site development is being welcomed with open arms.
  7. Patty Winsa (2013-05-08). "Weston Mount Dennis residents will have input into Crosstown LRT storage site". Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-03-25. Metrolinx has done an about face and will now allow community input into how other developments can be incorporated into the Crosstown’s storage and vehicle maintenance site.
  8. http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2013/10/crosstown-lrt-revitalization-catalyst-mount-dennis
  9. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/building-move-1.3735196

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