It is hard to imagine that a dilapidated building nearly 100 years old that once housed drug addicts and homeless persons has been converted into a solidly built, attractive storage facility. And that’s not all! It just had the honor of winning the 2010 Facility of the Year Conversion Category by Mini-Storage Messenger, the leading international self storage trade magazine published by MiniCo Insurance Agency, LLC.
"It is an honor to be chosen as Facility of the Year by MiniCo," said Christopher C. Barry, principal for LifeStorage Centers, LLC. "Their publication is the industry leader in self-storage, and we are very gratified that they recognized the extensive and detailed work we put into creating the beautiful LifeStorage facility on State Street."
Investors recognized the vintage charm of the 1911 building and knew the neighborhood was being gentrified. LifeStorage of South Loop is located at State & 24th, a heavily-populated area of South Loop Chicago, which bodes well for the number potential customers in the area.
Extensive renovations that LifeStorage completed on the building prior to its opening in 2009 were why it was chosen by MiniCo for Facility of the Year in the Conversion category. Throughout the years, the building has gone through multiple owners and renovations.
"We knew the building had potential when we purchased it," said LifeStorage principal Jean L. Jodoin in a release, "but we also knew that there would be a great deal of structural and architectural work involved in the renovations. The building had been abandoned for many years, and so it needed a lot of attention."
Intermittently during the past decade, the building was vacant and that’s when it attracted drug dealers and other vagrants. But as Chicago’s South Loop gentrifies, small businesses and shop owners are becoming attracted to the area. This, in turn, has brought middle-class people seeking apartments to the neighborhood. And where there’s people and living space, there’s a need for self storage. The architects on the project were able to keep the old charm of the building while bringing in some modern elements that LifeStorage’s other facilities has become known for across the Chicago area.
"This was the right building at the right time," said Barry. "The neighborhood was turning around, and we were excited to be a part of that transformation." Today, the State Street store, located at 2361 South State Street is one of LifeStorage's busiest storage facilities in Chicago."
The owners of LifeStorage set out to improve the image of self storage when they founded the company in 2002. Jean Jodoin and Christopher Barry wanted to become leaders and innovators of affordable self storage options.
“We are bringing self-storage to a new level of excellence by providing indoor facilities that are cleaner, climate-controlled, and more secure," said Barry. "We insist on outstanding customer service and a corporate-wide dedication to being better than the competition. We choose our sites carefully, hire only customer-focused store managers, and create the ambience of our centers to reflect the LifeStorage brand."
More information on LifeStorage can be found at http://lifestorage.net
Sources Used:
Mini-Storage Messenger. 2010.
“LifeStorage’s South Loop Location Wins 2010 Self Storage Facility of the Year Award.” PR-USA.Net. Dec. 20, 2010.