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.
^"Kodak's Building 9 was once employee hub of Toronto complex". Toronto Sun. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2015. 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.
^
Winsa, Patty (May 8, 2013). "Weston-Mount Dennis residents want Metrolinx to preserve last Kodak building". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014. 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.
^
Sunshine, Bessie (February 12, 2014). "A drive to refocus the former Kodak lands". York Guardian. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. 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.
^
Winsa, Patty (May 8, 2013). "Weston Mount Dennis residents will have input into Crosstown LRT storage site". Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014. 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.
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