In 1849, Charles Louis Ducommun opened a hardware store in the Los Angeles area. Charles had recently emigrated form Switzerland and saw an opportunity to supply hardware and supplies during the California gold rush. Ducommun started his journey by walking to Los Angeles from the state of Arkansas, bringing only a mule packed with his belongings. Ducommun managed to keep pace with the growth of the southern California economy and incorporated the Ducommun Hardware Company in 1907. The company evolved into a metal distributor in partnership with the Eastern mills. As the United States approached World War I, the defense industry grew and the flight industry began to take shape. One of Mr. Ducommun's sons, Charles Albert, made an early commitment to support an innovative aircraft designer named Donald Douglas. This relationship would lay the foundation for Ducommun's partnership with the aerospace industry as a large provider of aluminum. During World War II,  Ducommun remained a global manufacturer, providing stainless steel, carbon steel and alloys for combat aircraft. The company continues to supply aircraft skins, spoilers, helicopter blades, electro-mechanical systems, cable assemblies, wiring harnesses, switches, keyboards and integrated display systems for the aerospace, defense and industrial markets.  Ducommun products have been used on U.S. space shuttles and even the International Space Station.

The Ducommun building was built in 1956 and U-Haul acquired the building in 2013. Adaptive reuse building conversions allow U-Haul to promote infill development to meet citizens’ needs while preserving the natural resources and land normally required for new construction. Adaptive reuse also allows resources to be focused on integrating environmentally thoughtful features into the existing building rather than creating waste in the form of demolition and using valuable resources for new construction.

Serving U-Haul customers since 2013, this facility was built through adaptive reuse of an abandoned building. Adaptive reuse promotes infill development in an effort to strengthen communities, with the following benefits achieved at this site:

• 1,128 tons of metal manufacturing & transportation prevented
• 3,670 tons of new concrete pours avoided
• 4,848 tons of construction and demolition debris prevented

Energy-efficiency and waste-reduction programs at this facility provide the following estimated benefits each year for the National City community:

• 6,001,329 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented

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  Steel Production 1,128 tons (1,024 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date

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  Concrete 3,670 tons (3,330 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date

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  Emissions 6,001,329 lbs (2,722,185 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented

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  Landfill Debris 4,848 lbs (2,199 kgs) of construction debris prevented

• U-Haul Moving & Storage of National City
• Ducommun.com
• Los Angeles Times article on Ducommun's history