LIVING "By the Real Estate Leaders" Summer 2015 - Issue #6 | Page 11

The Kodak Buildings
One of Al Ismaelia’s most prominent landmarks is
the Kodak Buildings on Adly Street; located across
from the heavily-guarded synagogue, the Kodak
Buildings are one example of just how cosmopolitan downtown Cairo was in the early 20th
century. Acquired by founder of the Eastman
Kodak Company George Eastman on a visit to
Egypt in 1924, the building became home to one
of the world’s earliest Kodak shops outside of
America. In 2008, Al Ismaelia Company acquired
the building and it became home to the
company’s headquarters.

Street, was largely unused by pedestrians until
CLUSTER’s intervention.

The buildings also include a promenade
commonly referred to as "the Kodak passageway,"
which was renovated earlier this year by a group
of urban planners better known as the Cairo Lab
for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental
Research (CLUSTER). The passageway, which
connects Adly Street to Abdel Khalek Tharwat

In January of this year, the passageway was
renovated as “The Green Oasis” according to the
theme developed during the workshop, and now
includes greenery, benches, streetlamps, and a
restaurant (Eish We Malh).

In 2013 and 2014, CLUSTER worked closely with Al
Ismaelia Company and the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) to renovate the passageway in preparation for a 2014 exhibition by
Egyptian artist Hassan Khan. Later in the year,
they interviewed shop owners and residents as
part of a workshop with artists and urban
planners that aimed to propose a redesign for the
passageway.

Cinema Radio
Located on Talaat Harb Street, Cinema Radio was
built in the 1930s. In its heyday, Cinema Radio was
home to premieres of prominent Egyptian films
and was considered an important cultural
landmark. Cinema Radio includes a cinema, a
theater, and an office building, as well as a
passageway with commercial spaces.
After years of neglect, Cinema Radio was acquired
by Al Ismaelia Company, and was first used by the
Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF) in
2014. It later became home to Egypt’s first satirical
program, Bassem Youssef’s Al Bernameg.

Earlier this year, Cinema Radio became host to
Muppet-turned-celebrity Abla Fahi ч