National self-storage operator The U-Haul Co. recently purchased a former Nabisco building in Detroit’s New Center district, with plans to convert it into a self-storage facility. The 250,000-square-foot historical structure was built in 1920 as a bakery but will soon be home to a seven-story storage facility offering 930 indoor, single-story units comprising more than 62,790 square feet of storage space. The conversion is expected to be complete sometime next year.
"U-Haul wants to give back to the great city of Detroit by expanding and investing in it," said Joe Shoen, chairman of U-Haul International Inc.
Dubbed the U-Haul Detroit Revitalization Project, the development is being featured on a special Web page, which will keep the community informed about its progress as well as share information about other community projects, events and developments.
"Our goal is to bring economic stability and foster community togetherness in the city through this revitalization project," Shoen said. "Our intention is to support the city and the growing community of Detroit. We know that it's the right thing to do."
Detroit was hit particularly hard by the recession and has continued to struggle with high municipal operating costs and declining population. The city’s deficit is in excess of $100 million.
Established in 1945, U-Haul has 36 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.
