Qualla: Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit DanielPenfield, CC BY-SA 4.0. Rochester was a company town for a company that no longer exists. Eastman Kodak at its peak employed 60,000 people in Rochester; the yellow box was everywhere; 'Kodak moment' entered the language. When digital photography destroyed the film business, it destroyed Rochester's economy. Kodak's bankruptcy in 2012 was the culmination of a decade of decline, the end of a company that once seemed eternal. The city of 210,000 has been rebuilding since, leveraging the optics expertise that Kodak created, but the trauma is recent and the recovery incomplete. Rochester is what happens when a city bets everything on one industry and that industry vanishes - a cautionary tale playing out in grand architecture and reduced circumstances.

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Image: DanielPenfield | CC BY-SA 4.0

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: The Kodak

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Self, Public domain. George Eastman founded Kodak in 1888 and democratized photography - 'You press the button, we do the rest' made cameras accessible to everyone. The company grew into a global giant, the yellow box recognized worldwide, the film processing creating recurring revenue that made shar...

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Image: Self | Public domain

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: The Eastman

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit FourGreatCats, CC BY-SA 4.0. George Eastman's philanthropy shaped Rochester more than his business. The University of Rochester owes its growth to Eastman gifts. The Eastman School of Music, part of the university, is among the world's most prestigious. The Eastman Theatre hosts the Rochester Philharmonic in...

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Image: FourGreatCats | CC BY-SA 4.0

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: The Abolition

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Patrick Ashley, CC BY 2.0. Rochester was an abolitionist stronghold before the Civil War - Frederick Douglass published his North Star newspaper here from 1847 to 1860, and his home is now a historic site. Susan B. Anthony lived here, was arrested here for voting in 1872, and is buried in Mount Hope Cemete...

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Image: Patrick Ashley | CC BY 2.0

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: The Falls

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Evilarry, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Genesee Falls, in the heart of Rochester, powered the city's early industries - flour mills lined the gorge before Kodak made film the dominant product. High Falls drops 96 feet through a gorge now surrounded by industrial ruins repurposed as restaurants and apartments. The g...

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Image: Evilarry | CC BY-SA 3.0

Rochester: The Kodak City Where Photography's Capital Lost Its Film: Visiting Rochester

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Rochester is served by Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC). The George Eastman Museum is essential - the history of photography displayed in Eastman's mansion and gardens. The Strong National Museum of Play is America's only museum dedicated to play, ...

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Image: Dmadeo | CC BY-SA 4.0