U-Haul International Inc. has opened a new self-storage facility in a former cotton mill in Wake Forest, N.C., and rebranded it as U-Haul Moving and Storage. The property at 9701 Capital Blvd. is the former site of Burlington Mills. The plant opened in 1924 and employed about 200 people who weaved cotton fabrics for flags, curtains and clothing.

The property includes about 35 acres and has several buildings encompassing 324,841 square feet of space. It includes two brick buildings that were once used as an old boiler house and later as a water-filtration plant. The landmark building had been vacant for several years before the U-Haul conversion.

"This building is a landmark facility for both U-Haul and the community," said Paul Smedberg, marketing-company president of U-Haul Company of Raleigh. "I'm proud that we are reusing this historic facility instead of destroying it."

Established in 1945, U-Haul has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

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