The Kodak Building is a historic building in Atlanta, Georgia. Built in midtown Atlanta around 1950, the building originally served as a camera shop, with a large sign on top of the building advertising Kodak considered a local landmark. The building has been vacant for several years, but was recently sold and is scheduled for redevelopment.
History
The building was originally built around 1950 as a camera shop for Star Photo.[1][2] It was built simultaneously to the building next to it, which currently houses the Atlanta Eagle, a gay bar that was the subject of the Atlanta Eagle police raid in 2009.[2] The building was eventually converted to a Kodak shop, and during this time a large advertising sign for the company was added to the top of the building, which remains on the building today.[3][4] In the early 2000s, the building served as the campaign headquarters for Shirley Franklin's team during her campaign to become mayor of Atlanta.[1][2][4]
Around 2009, the Kodak Building and Atlanta Eagle building were foreclosed on.[5] The two buildings were sold in May 2014,[6] with the Atlanta Eagle's lease renewed.[2] As part of the sale agreement, the Kodak sign was to remain on the building.[6] The buildings were sold again in 2016 for approximately $2 million, with plans to convert the Kodak Building into a healthcare center.[1][7]
