For 25 years, “Where will U go next?” has been the tag line for U-Haul SuperGraphics on U-Haul trucks and trailers in the U.S. and Canada. Here at the U-Haul Nabisco building that question took on new meaning. As many passers-by have noted, the second “U” in the north sign seemed to go missing. No mystery here; it was damaged/cracked during installation and taken down for safety concerns. A new “U” is being fabricated at Pearson’s Signs in Tucson and will be on its way to Detroit as quickly as possible.
Baby it’s cold outside
Due to the freezing temperature, the pour for the load/unload ramp was moved from Wednesday to Friday. K&K had to change the concrete mix and it took two days to process the new material. We had to keep the exterior doors closed as much as possible, but the pour went smoothly.
Saturday morning, we brought in a 500-lb propane tank and a 400,000-BTU heater and were able to raise the temperature in the load/unload area to 56 degrees. The plan is to pour the grout at the end of the ramp on Thursday to complete the job.
Showing our colors
The white, orange and black color palette of the showroom is nearing completion and is quite stunning to see. The walls, ceilings, trusses and pipes along the walls are finished. Next up is treatment of the brick, upper windows and then the floor.
A bit of building history
The sixth floor of the Nabisco building once housed the mixing and proving rooms and the bakery. The mixing and proving rooms were on the Forsyth Avenue side and opposite them was a row of nine ovens, which minimized the distance the dough had to travel from mixers to ovens.
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!
Next post, 1/14.
–Pref
