In 1865, New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley famously opined, “Go west, young man.” Out west in Tucson last week, Pearson’s Signs coined a new phrase, “Go east, U-Haul.” They carefully loaded a very long flatbed truck with the two U-Haul modular signs that will sit atop the U-Haul Moving and Storage building, and sent the truck off to Detroit.
Like the NBC-Nabisco building, Pearson’s Signs began life in the 1920s. Since 1927, they have prided themselves on being able to fabricate any custom interior and exterior signage…from the simplest forms to the most intricate.
If all goes as planned, the signs will complete their 2,000-mile trek and arrive at M.D Lighting Sign Service tomorrow (12/11). We are hoping that installation will begin on Thursday. It will take approximately a week to lift and install each of the 7′ x 7′ letters to the roof.
It’s too warm?
We left the steam on all weekend to test what the system is able to deliver…and it delivered! Monday morning, it was very, very warm in the showroom. It was so warm, that the plumbers asked us to turn down the heat – this after enduring a month of working in cold indoor temperatures.
Ramping up
The geofoam for the handicap ramp in the loading/unloading area arrived on schedule, and the first pour is scheduled for this week. Geofoam has been around since the 1960’s and provides a lightweight fill used below a highway, bridge approach, embankment or parking lot.
Geofoam minimizes settlement on underground utilities and can be easily cut and shaped on a project site.
The ramp dock plate has been welded into place and the brick on the face of the dock has been repaired.
Looking up
The next time you drive by U-Haul Moving and Storage of Detroit, you may notice something new on the sixth floor. We’ve begun to install panels and lighting to let people know that self-storage soon will be available to residents of Midtown/New Center.
Did you know?
U-Haul introduced its trademarked modular sign in 1966 as part of a marketing makeover and a $27 million dollar expansion of its rental fleet.
That’s it for this week. This blog was created to let the community know that 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 12/10.
–Pref
