Adaptive Reuse: U-Haul Giving Facelift to 104-year-old Building in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (July 27, 2016) — Progress is being made as U-Haul works toward offering a full line of moving and self-storage products to South Bluffs and downtown Memphis residents thanks to the acquisition and adaptive reuse of the 104-year-old Rawleigh Building.
U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Bluffs at 137 W. Illinois Ave. was acquired in November and began offering truck and trailer rentals and moving supplies from a temporary showroom.
While there is no definitive date for completion of the building’s self-storage construction, once it is finished, the facility will have 24-hour electronic access and state-of-the-art security for its indoor climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled units.
“We are moving slowly with construction in order to preserve as much of the original building as possible,” U-Haul Company of Memphis president Carol George said. “Buildings like this were built well and should be reused if possible. It’s worth the extra effort to restore these beautiful structures and put them to modern-day use.”
The 125,921-square-foot building was erected in 1912. It previously housed soaps and medicine. George noted that the building’s inventory was once delivered to the warehouse by wagon from the Mississippi River.
After sitting vacant for more than 15 years, U-Haul is helping to reduce the amount of blight in Memphis while preserving the structure as a testament to the city’s past. When U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Bluffs is at full strength, it will offer towing equipment and professional hitch installation, U-Box portable moving and self-storage containers, propane and more.
“This part of the city really needs U-Haul services and we were trying to find the right location,” George said. “We drove by this fabulous building for years, only to see it wasting away. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to save this building. The community and the city are behind us completely.”
The acquisition of the Memphis facility was driven by U-Haul Company’s Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul® supports infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. Our adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.
By reusing the Rawleigh Building, U-Haul prevented 1,078 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation from being used, avoided 15,406 tons of new concrete pours, kept 16,528 tons of construction and demolition debris out of landfills, and stopped 10,547,123 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Call U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Bluffs at (901) 881-1777 or stop by to see our progress. Hours of operation are from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.
To learn more about what U-Haul is doing in your community, visit myuhaulstory.com.
About U-Haul
Contact:
Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com