If you watch any of the DYI home-makeover cable shows, you know that watching how the crew transforms the old into the new – the build up to the final reveal – is the most interesting part of the show. That’s how we feel about what we are doing with the revitalization of this building. We can’t wait to see what each day holds in store for us as the build up to our U-Haul Moving & Storage of Detroit showroom reveal continues.
Detroit Showroom Taking Shape
The showroom continues to take shape. The lower half of the showroom walls have been power washed, exposing more of the historic Chicago brick. They look great, so we’ll continue power washing the upper half of the walls and the ceilings this weekend.
The concrete floor is curing properly; there are no cracks, and we are walking on it. Next week we will be able to remove the steel beams near the entrance and get a good feel for what the Detroit showroom will look like for our customers.
Do you remember when we lowered the Bobcat to the basement? Well, the legacy of our Macgyver abilities will soon be covered up. The door frame for the main entrance has been received and we will begin to replace the brick wall that was removed to build our Bobcat Ramp.
Bathrooms
Would you like to work out of a bathroom? Our team members don’t want to either! The old bathroom on top of the platform has been cleared of all plumbing and will be transformed into an office. By the time we’re done nobody will know it was ever a bathroom…well, except all of you! Don’t worry, we are replacing it with a new Americans with Disabilities (ADA)-approved restroom on the showroom floor. We are just waiting for approval of our plan to begin the installation.
Steam
We have identified an area where we will install the steam station in the basement and, to date, we have located and repaired the steam lines up to the fourth floor. We start on the fifth floor this week.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Detroit Edison built a maze of steam tunnels that run under the main streets of Detroit? In 1903, with 12 customers and 3,000 feet of mains, the company began providing thermal heating by distributing the steam exhaust from its electrical generating plants. Edison’s Beacon Street plant was named a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1985 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Businesses are again looking to steam as a cost-effective, environmentally friendly solution for their heating needs. Does your workplace use steam heating?
We want your input
That’s it for this week. The discoveries and the day-to-day process of revitalizing this grand building are intriguing, challenging and ultimately satisfying. I don’t claim that these weekly updates come close to the production value of those cable TV makeover shows, but I am confident that our final reveal will be worth waiting for. Let me know what you think. This blog was created to let the community know U-Haul is in Detroit and to share our plans with you; and to get input from the community. We want to hear from you. Tell us what you like and don’t like about our posts, building plans or anything else you want to share about Detroit. We are excited to be part of the Detroit community and want to learn from you!
Stay tuned. Next update 10/29.
–Pref
