Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul of Staten Island

Gulf Oil was once one of the world's largest oil suppliers and even earned the nickname as being one of the "seven sisters of oil companies" for being a major contributor to the entire world's supply in 1985. William Larimer Mellon of the Pittsburgh Mellon banking family was the largest investor in a discovery mission that struck oil in Beaumont, Texas in 1901. Inspired by this unearthing, The Gulf Oil Corporation was formed in 1907 through the conglomeration of a number of oil businesses, principally the J.M. Guffey Petroleum and Gulf Refining companies of Texas. The companies name "Gulf"  actually references the discovery location, which is nearby the Gulf of Mexico.

The original gusher site, on Spindletop Hill, reached a peak production of 100,000 barrels per day before the supply began to decline. The company was then forced to find additional supply channels, so they constructed the 400 mile Glen Pool Pipeline connecting oilfields in Oklahoma with Gulf's refinery at Port Arthur. In 1910, they continued to expand their search for oil and built the world’s first ever water drilling operation. In 1913, Gulf became the world's first oil company to enter the consumer gasoline market and open their own drive-through fuel station. Shortly after in 1920, the iconic orange disc logo was introduced and became iconically recognizable as part of the Gulf gas station imaging.

The Staten Island Gulf gas station building was built in 1931 and U-Haul acquired the iconic building in 1990. 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.

Serving U-Haul customers since 1990, 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:

• 16 tons of metal manufacturing & transportation prevented
• 193 tons of new concrete pours avoided
• 209 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 Staten Island community:

• 13,496 kWh annual energy savings
• 149,192 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented

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  Steel Production 16 tons (15 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date

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  Energy 13,496 kWh annual energy savings

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  Concrete 193 tons (175 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date

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  Emissions 149,192 lbs (67,673 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented

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  Landfill Debris 209 lbs (190 kgs) of construction debris prevented

• U-Haul of Staten Island