George Eastman Home

This picture-perfect mansion in Rochester, New York, was built with the fortune that inventor George Eastman made from his Kodak camera.

At the end of 19th century, camera equipment was heavy and expensive. Eastman, considered the father of modern photography, perfected his portable Kodak camera and film in 1888 (figure A), enabling nearly anyone to preserve memories with photographs.

Though raised in poverty, Eastman's magnificent home was an example of just how profitable the inventive spirit could be (figure B). His 50-room, 35,000-square-foot Colonial Revival mansion on Rochester's fashionable East Avenue was the largest house in town.

The home featured elegant touches throughout, including a traditional marble-lined front hall (figure C) and a dining room that closely resembled the state dining room at the White House (figure D). The resemblance was more than coincidental--the same architects designed both rooms.

One of the highlights of inventor George Eastman's home was the magnificent conservatory, a soaring two-story room of marble and glass (figure E). Eastman was not pleased with the original square design, and insisted on a rectangular room. The solution required a technological feat that tested the limits of engineers of the day--the entire back half of the home had to be picked up and moved so that the conservatory could be stretched 10 feet.