Kodak is getting ready to take the wraps off a new visitor center showcasing the company’s rich history.
Eastman Kodak says on Thursday, it will have a grand opening for something it really hasn’t had before…a visitor center.
It will be housed in the lobby of the Kodak Center on West Ridge Road. That’s the cavernous building that used to be called Theater on the Ridge, which opened in 1959 with a large auditorium cafeterias, and meeting rooms.
A few years ago, it was re-named and re-purposed, and now it hosts a variety of entertainment-oriented events.
The company says the lobby has been transformed with exhibits designed to celebrate more than 130 years of Kodak history. That includes historic artifacts like George Eastman’s star from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the first digital camera.
There is also going to be a café and retail store with the local business, Ugly Duck Coffee opening a location there and selling Kodak merchandise.
The first temporary exhibit in the new space is called "The Lost Coloramas" and it highlights the work of Kodak photographer Neil Montanus, who was responsible for a number of the Kodak Coloramas that were presented at Grand Central Station for decades.
The new Kodak Visitor Center will be open Monday through Friday, form 9am to 5pm.
