Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul Moving & Storage of West Springfield

380 Union St West Springfield, MA 01089
(Right across from the Crepe House/next to Mansfield Paper, Old Bay State Office/next to Elm Industries)

(413) 241-5814

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(413) 241-5814

380 Union St
West Springfield, MA 01089
(Right across from the Crepe House/next to Mansfield Paper, Old Bay State Office/next to Elm Industries)

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Office Hours

Mon-Thur: 7 am–7 pm
Fri: 7 am–8 pm
Sat: 7 am–7 pm
Sun: 9 am–5 pm

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Free towing inspection
Propane pay at pump
Propane exchange
24 hour customer return
Boat storage
RV storage
Vehicle storage
Wine Storage

Adaptive Reuse in West Springfield, MA at U-Haul Moving & Storage of West Springfield

Building History

It all began in 1865, when Charles Gilbert and John Barker partnered to build the “Springfield Gas Machine” which converted raw petroleum distillates into gas vapor to light buildings. This was a solution for rural communities to light their homes with a gas lamp, if they did not have access to natural gas infrastructure. The pair also developed systems to safely distribute the lighting fuel to individual lamps.

Gilbert and Barker eventually founded the Gilbert & Barker company in 1870. Their partnership was legally designated as the Gilbert & Barker Manufacturing Co. Of Springfield, Massachusetts. By 1884, Gilbert & Barker were the single largest retailer of gas in the country. The Standard Oil Company, which we now know as Exxon, took notice of their success and acquired the company that same year. For almost 100 years, the company was an affiliate with the Standard Oil Company.

With the electric light industry growing rapidly after Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, Gilbert & Barker investigated different ways petroleum could be utilized. Automobiles flourished in the U.S., but Gilbert and Barker found the refueling process inefficient and dangerous. At the time, automobile owners were hand pouring gasoline into their car’s fuel tanks. Gilbert & Barker created the first petroleum pump, the T-1, in 1910. The pump used push-pull motion to siphon the gasoline from underground tanks for fueling. Within the next two years, they also introduced their first “measuring gasoline pump”, and relocated to a new factory in West Springfield, Massachusetts. From Springfield, they manufactured measuring and visible pumps. After introducing the first computing pump in 1929, it was decided to combine their last names to make ‘Gilbarco’ their trademark.

Gilbarco also participated in World War II efforts and were contracted by the U.S. Army and Navy to produce over 100 million dollars' worth of pumping equipment. During war time manufacturing, women accounted for 40% of the Gilbarco workforce.

In 1965, their headquarters relocated to Greensboro, North Carolina. The company still continued to grow and develop with the introduction of advancements in technologies like dispensers, pay-at-the pump, electronic blending, vapor recovery, wireless payment, remote management, etc. In 2002, Gilbarco was acquired by the Danaher Corporation and merged with Veeder-Root. This merger made Gilbarco and Veeder-Root a significant player in the world petroleum products and services market. Gilbarco Veeder-Root continues to innovate to this day and works toward the development of fuel dispensers, tank gauging equipment and point of sale systems.

The Gilbarco building was constructed in 1865 and was acquired by U-Haul 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.

Environmental Impact

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:

201 tons of metal manufacturing & transportation prevented
15,277 tons of new concrete pours avoided
15,643 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 West Springfield community:

6,983,623 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented

Steel Production 201 tons (182 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date
Energy 0 kWh annual energy savings
Concrete 15,277 tons (13,863 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date
Emissions 6,983,623 lbs (3,167,751 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented
Landfill Debris 15,643 lbs (14,195 kgs) of construction debris prevented