U-Haul is the largest and oldest provider of self-storage in the City of Brotherly Love, with more than 13,000 rentable units and storage service dating to the 1970s.
The commitment to Philadelphia is very intentional, and direct ties to several of the city’s most notable buildings are a special part of the U-Haul story.
Philadelphia is the Birthplace of America, the Cradle of Liberty, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.
While U-Haul® history can’t measure up to that history, the veteran-founded, family-run organization did manage to pioneer DIY moving by giving people the independence to move themselves through affordable and accessible mobility.
The presence of U-Haul in Philadelphia tracks to September 1953, when Jack Smukler’s Gulf® Service Station at 19th Street and Moyamensing Avenue became one of the earliest East Coast dealerships in the entire U-Haul network.
But U-Haul would soon do more than offer truck and trailer rentals. As its infrastructure grew along with customer demand for space to store their valued possessions, U-Haul began to acquire properties where it could accommodate Philadelphia’s needs.
Dominic Catalano, U-Haul Area District Vice President for Philadelphia, sees a shared spirit between city and company.
“Philadelphia is a hard-working city of proud, loyal people who take care of their families, their neighborhoods and each other,” Catalano said. “That has a lot in common with the culture at U-Haul. The Company has built its presence in Philadelphia the same way the city was built: through hard work, consistency and grinding it out every day.
“We’re not outsiders who do business here. We are part of Philadelphia. Philadelphia helped shape America. U-Haul helped shape the do-it-yourself moving industry, and I’m incredibly proud that our histories have been connected for more than 70 years.”
That legacy isn’t just measured in numbers. It’s written into the walls of some of the city’s most iconic structures.
U-Haul Moving & Storage of Philadelphia (314 N 13th St.)
Steps from the Liberty Bell sits a piece of architectural history. Designed by famed architect Albert Kahn, the Packard Motor® Corporation Building was constructed in 1910-11 as one of the first buildings of its kind built with a steel frame reinforced by concrete.
It later served as headquarters for the Philadelphia Record newspaper before earning a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Half the building became condominiums in 1986; U-Haul acquired the other half in 1994, giving the century-old landmark new life as a moving and storage resource for the neighborhood.
U-Haul Moving & Storage of Allegheny West (2801 W Hunting Park Ave.)
Long before it stored Philadelphia’s belongings, this building fed the city’s sweet tooth. Constructed in 1922, it once housed the Tasty Baking® Company — the birthplace of Tastykake®. The beloved Philadelphia snack brand founded in 1913 is famous for the slogan: “The cake that made mother stop baking!”
At its peak, a half-million Kandy Kakes® rolled out of facilities like this every day. The building was vacant for five years after production ceased. It was becoming an eyesore when U-Haul, recognizing the property’s potential and its place in the city’s decorated history, purchased and revitalized it in 2015.
U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Philadelphia (1135 Washington Ave.)
This 1906 building once churned out nickel cigars under the American Cigar® Company’s iconic Merit Mark® triangle logo, a symbol of quality recognized across the country. U-Haul acquired the building in 1978, taking care to preserve its unique character while providing South Philly with a lasting storage resource.
These three locations reflect the broader U-Haul commitment to Adaptive Reuse — that is, the process of repurposing existing buildings for modern moving and storage centers. This alternative to building anew removes blight from cities’ unwanted inventories of unused buildings. U-Haul Adaptive Reuse also eliminates the carbon emissions associated with ground-up builds and demolition projects while preserving natural resources.
The bonus? Many of these projects involve an important piece of a city’s history that can be preserved.
Across these three Philadelphia buildings alone, U-Haul has prevented tens of thousands of tons of construction debris and delivered meaningful energy savings for the community.
Chuck Hertzler, U-Haul Executive Vice President, grew up in Pittsburgh and has been with the Company since 1983. He became part of the U-Haul Philadelphia team in 2010 and took part in the acquisition of multiple properties.
“As we identified opportunities to acquire and transform historic buildings throughout the city, we had confidence in those investments because Dominic and his team knew Philadelphia,” Hertzler said. “They understood its neighborhoods, its people, what customers needed, and where they needed it. At the end of the day, buildings don’t serve customers. People do. The strength of our Philadelphia team is what has made these investments successful and allowed these properties to continue serving communities.”
For Catalano, Philly’s history and U-Haul Company’s role in treasuring it is personal.
“My hope is that generations from now, Philadelphia residents will still look at these buildings, recognize their history, and know that U-Haul helped preserve them while giving them a new purpose,” Catalano said. “We believe in Philadelphia, we believe in its people, and we want to continue investing in its neighborhoods and providing its families and businesses with the best moving and storage solutions for generations to come.”
Beyond the history, the U-Haul mission remains unchanged: give Philadelphia residents and businesses a one-stop shop for moving and storage.
Customers can pair a truck or trailer rental with a self-storage unit during a single visit or transaction on the U-Haul app. What’s more, storage customers can now guarantee their monthly rate for a full year with the 1-Year Price Lock. For customers who rent a one-way truck, their first month of storage is free.
As Philadelphia continues to grow and change, rest assured U-Haul will be there. Past, present and future – only one moving and storage company is worthy of being called Philly Special.
