Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Leominster

5,494 reviews

207 Central St Leominster, MA 01453
(Rt 12 S, Across from CVS)

(978) 534-7904

View Facility Map

Services at this Location:

Contact Us

(978) 534-7904

207 Central St
Leominster, MA 01453
(Rt 12 S, Across from CVS)

Driving Directions

Services at this Location:

Office Hours

Mon-Thur: 7 am–7 pm
Fri: 7 am–8 pm
Sat: 7 am–7 pm
Sun: 9 am–5 pm

View Photos

Free towing inspection
Propane pay at pump
Propane exchange
24 hour customer return

Adaptive Reuse in Leominster, MA at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Leominster

Building History

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, usually abbreviated as A&P, was once the largest American retail grocery chain. Originally named Gilman and Company and founded by George Gilman in 1859, the chain started as a small collection of tea and coffee retail stores in New York City. The small cluster of retail stores grew to a total of 70 stores by 1878. Management was then passed to Geroge Huntington Hartford. Harford is credited for evolving A&P into a well rounded grocery market with multiple product offerings and grew the operations to 200 stores by the year 1900. Hartford would eventually acquire the company in 1912 and become the sole proprietor. He continued to innovate, developing fresh meat and produce sections of the market as well as implementing the self-serve supermarket concept. The chain grew to 4,000 large market stores by 1950 under Hartford's supervision.

The enormous size of the A&P chain proved to be their downfall. High operating costs plagued the company and competitors capitalized on larger and more modern supermarkets. The Hartford family eventually sold the business to the Tengelmann Group in 1975, though A&P continued to struggle for years. Multiple acquisitions and corporate restructuring didn’t help. A&P filed for bankruptcy in 2010, eventually cutting costs and returning to profitability only to face bankruptcy again in 2015. All remaining stores were finally closed by November 25th, 2015.

Seeing as how iconic A&P was after 156 years of service, U-Haul could not sit idly as the building gathered dust. U-Haul took it upon themselves to restore this location to its former glory. It is currently a U-Haul distribution center and is once again a familiar sight to the community.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company building was built in 1944 and U-Haul acquired the property in 1977. 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.

Environmental Impact

Serving U-Haul customers since 1977, 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:

943 tons of new concrete pours avoided
975 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 Leominster community:

27,909 kWh annual energy savings
452,114 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented

Steel Production 0 tons (0 tonnes) of steel manufacturing and delivery saved to date
Energy 27,909 kWh annual energy savings
Concrete 943 tons (856 tonnes) of new concrete pours avoided to date
Emissions 452,114 lbs (205,078 kgs) of greenhouse gas emissions prevented
Landfill Debris 975 lbs (885 kgs) of construction debris prevented