This is also a wealth disparity story, with the increase of storage facilities tracking the increase of homelessness, both because some homeless people can only afford to store their stuff, but also because American cities across the board are friendlier to building storage than building housing. In NYC this is literally, where in two high profile situations in recent years a community board has come out against housing being built, only for a CubeSmart to take it's place.
Another I thought I remembered, South Sea Port, was actually turned into a parking garage. So, car storage instead of stuff storage, but that's a different issue.
In fact when I was looking for these articles, most of the time the development becomes or remains a parking lot...
Jeez, really good point! I was going to make a comment referring to one of George Carlin's bits about "stuff", but you bring a salient point about how storage facilities are a driver of the gap between the haves and have-nots!
That's very salient. Like, let's build places to store rich people's excess on cheaper land in poorer neighborhoods instead of building something that might lift those communities and people out of their lack and into something that resembles a caring community.
When my Gram died in her Inwood apartment, Mom couldn’t get herself to dump all the W & J Sloane furniture, so it went into a storage room. I added a nice Romanian rug that the cat had started to use as a scratch pad.
After ten years of paying the fees, Mom balked at going “to check the furniture” after a man was shot and killed by cops, right down the hall from her storage room. The man had been secretly living in a unit (fully furnished) until a guard called the police, thinking he was a burglar, and the police, um, over-reacted when they encountered the terrified tenant in the dark.
We sold all the stuff for $200.00, but the large plastic bag that held my rug only contained thousands of beige moth carcasses, and a foot or so of fringe.
I think there is quite a bit of converting these storage spaces into ad hoc living quarters though you would think with the ubiquity of security cameras, no one could get away with it and, more importantly, no one would end up getting shot.
We moved from a house with sheds, to an empty block of land, so needed two storage units for a while. I was pretty proud of how quickly we built sheds so we could stop renting the units, and instead put the equivalent monthly payments into a savings account. Now we have two sheds full of rotting stuff haha
That last shot unearths a proto Western self-storage, literal self storage - the bones of Xiang Lau now in wooden or steel boxes instead of a pot (except maybe on Hart Island).
You've triggered a memory from a long time ago, here in Australia. A person who reviewed books wrote something (or possibly spoke about) about his storage unit and how many books he had there. Thousands and thousands.
I'd gone to a session he chaired at a writer's festival which is probably the only reason I remember this.
Given that I couldn't remember the person's name ... and after a moment or two's research ... the panel was with Harold McGee, author of 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.'
What happened to the books? No idea, of course, but it's interesting to think what one remembers and what one doesn't.
I haven't thought of that book for a long time either and gave it away.
What a fun read. I’m immediately running over to my local Catacomb of Consumerism to show the Manager of my Monumentality how important he really is. He’s a part of history going back to Ancient China. I have no storage in my condo so I need this place to hold my excesses of consumerism.
It's oddly fascinating to see what self-storage units looks like in the US. In the UK, lots of old factories have been converted for storage. We use an Access self-storage place (didn't know it was international before seeing your photos!) which used to be a bus and tram garage. It's weirdly beautiful on the outside - Victorian or Edwardian - with very high roller doors. Maybe to accommodate lorries... But historically to accommodate double-decker buses!
While there are some beautiful old factories and warehouses that have been converted to storage spaces (though none with double-decker doors), the predominant style in the US, particularly outside cities, is the brightly painted, windowless metal box.
Finders Keepers is one of my all time favorites documentaries. On the surface, it feels like a laughable story of someone who will do anything for a dime, but it digs into the layers of a life and reveals the longing for recognition and a sense of belonging. The film will make you belly-laugh and possibly also shed a tear.
I absolutely refuse. My apartment is packed with stuff, having lived here for over 15 years (closer to 20 now). Would a storage unit let us store some of the stuff we have in here? Yes. Would it be nice to have a cleaner, more orderly place? Sure.
But god damnit, I won't do it. It's a psychological line for me, I think. I don't want to separate my stuff into other spaces. That separation makes me crazy when trying to find something. "Maybe it's in the storage unit..." seems like a place my brain would go too easily.
I know I've made it seem like we live in a hoarding situation, but it's far from that. Just a lot of books and board games, and almost 20 years of living in 900 sqft of space. We're house hunting, and storage is a priority.
It just accumulates so quickly! Books and board games are always worth holding onto though. As long as you’re not digging tunnels to get to the bathroom
It’s a great article! That’s where I got the Self Storage Association stats from. Also features work from the great Tim Davis though a disappointingly small representation of his photographs.
So interesting, Rob! As a former New Yorker, I remember that we used our basement for the overflow. Here in FL where I live now we may have small attics, but no basements. Many people park their valuable automobiles in the driveway and then fill up their garage with their unwanted crap! Their garage has become their basement or their attic. We have a narrow, single car garage and that is where the car is kept along with whatever fits on the built-in storage shelving. Anything else has got to go. I have no problem letting go of stuff we don’t need.
This is also a wealth disparity story, with the increase of storage facilities tracking the increase of homelessness, both because some homeless people can only afford to store their stuff, but also because American cities across the board are friendlier to building storage than building housing. In NYC this is literally, where in two high profile situations in recent years a community board has come out against housing being built, only for a CubeSmart to take it's place.
Very true. Where were the cases that saw the CubeSmart built in place of housing?
One in the Bronx:
https://www.bxtimes.com/cb12-rejects-affordable-housing-proposal-over-parking/
This is the first one I remembered, this one in Chelsea:
https://newyorkyimby.com/2023/08/public-storage-facility-completes-construction-at-155-west-29th-street-in-chelsea-manhattan.html
Another I thought I remembered, South Sea Port, was actually turned into a parking garage. So, car storage instead of stuff storage, but that's a different issue.
In fact when I was looking for these articles, most of the time the development becomes or remains a parking lot...
I'll have to find them, they're from a few years back
Jeez, really good point! I was going to make a comment referring to one of George Carlin's bits about "stuff", but you bring a salient point about how storage facilities are a driver of the gap between the haves and have-nots!
You're absolutely right, we need more housing!
That's very salient. Like, let's build places to store rich people's excess on cheaper land in poorer neighborhoods instead of building something that might lift those communities and people out of their lack and into something that resembles a caring community.
Ugh. I never considered that before.
Love the post.
When my Gram died in her Inwood apartment, Mom couldn’t get herself to dump all the W & J Sloane furniture, so it went into a storage room. I added a nice Romanian rug that the cat had started to use as a scratch pad.
After ten years of paying the fees, Mom balked at going “to check the furniture” after a man was shot and killed by cops, right down the hall from her storage room. The man had been secretly living in a unit (fully furnished) until a guard called the police, thinking he was a burglar, and the police, um, over-reacted when they encountered the terrified tenant in the dark.
We sold all the stuff for $200.00, but the large plastic bag that held my rug only contained thousands of beige moth carcasses, and a foot or so of fringe.
There must be some kind of moral here.
Thanks, Michael. That’s quite an image!
I think there is quite a bit of converting these storage spaces into ad hoc living quarters though you would think with the ubiquity of security cameras, no one could get away with it and, more importantly, no one would end up getting shot.
We moved from a house with sheds, to an empty block of land, so needed two storage units for a while. I was pretty proud of how quickly we built sheds so we could stop renting the units, and instead put the equivalent monthly payments into a savings account. Now we have two sheds full of rotting stuff haha
This is making me want to do a closet purge...
That last shot unearths a proto Western self-storage, literal self storage - the bones of Xiang Lau now in wooden or steel boxes instead of a pot (except maybe on Hart Island).
Exactly, RIP Xiang! Funny you should mention Hart Island, as that is my next Bronx "neighborhood."
You've triggered a memory from a long time ago, here in Australia. A person who reviewed books wrote something (or possibly spoke about) about his storage unit and how many books he had there. Thousands and thousands.
I'd gone to a session he chaired at a writer's festival which is probably the only reason I remember this.
He died suddenly not long after writing this.
A stored memory about storage spaces! I wonder what happened to all his books?
Given that I couldn't remember the person's name ... and after a moment or two's research ... the panel was with Harold McGee, author of 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.'
What happened to the books? No idea, of course, but it's interesting to think what one remembers and what one doesn't.
I haven't thought of that book for a long time either and gave it away.
Another lifetime ... back in 2012.
Oh my, love the thousands and thousands of books! Maybe a lucky guy or gal got them through Storage War$.
Stunning images as always. Your story reminds me of Fight Club. “The more you buy, the less you own. Stuff starts owning you”. It doesn’t end well….
Thanks Christoph! Time to rewatch Fight Club
The first 10 minutes are great, considering this topic.
What a fun read. I’m immediately running over to my local Catacomb of Consumerism to show the Manager of my Monumentality how important he really is. He’s a part of history going back to Ancient China. I have no storage in my condo so I need this place to hold my excesses of consumerism.
Just don't store any mummified legs there...
It's oddly fascinating to see what self-storage units looks like in the US. In the UK, lots of old factories have been converted for storage. We use an Access self-storage place (didn't know it was international before seeing your photos!) which used to be a bus and tram garage. It's weirdly beautiful on the outside - Victorian or Edwardian - with very high roller doors. Maybe to accommodate lorries... But historically to accommodate double-decker buses!
While there are some beautiful old factories and warehouses that have been converted to storage spaces (though none with double-decker doors), the predominant style in the US, particularly outside cities, is the brightly painted, windowless metal box.
I really love these shots.
Thanks!
Finders Keepers is one of my all time favorites documentaries. On the surface, it feels like a laughable story of someone who will do anything for a dime, but it digs into the layers of a life and reveals the longing for recognition and a sense of belonging. The film will make you belly-laugh and possibly also shed a tear.
Definitely going to watch it now!
I absolutely refuse. My apartment is packed with stuff, having lived here for over 15 years (closer to 20 now). Would a storage unit let us store some of the stuff we have in here? Yes. Would it be nice to have a cleaner, more orderly place? Sure.
But god damnit, I won't do it. It's a psychological line for me, I think. I don't want to separate my stuff into other spaces. That separation makes me crazy when trying to find something. "Maybe it's in the storage unit..." seems like a place my brain would go too easily.
I know I've made it seem like we live in a hoarding situation, but it's far from that. Just a lot of books and board games, and almost 20 years of living in 900 sqft of space. We're house hunting, and storage is a priority.
It just accumulates so quickly! Books and board games are always worth holding onto though. As long as you’re not digging tunnels to get to the bathroom
OMG Rob Stephenson + Self Storage Facilities dreams do come true!
Dream big?
“One in ten U.S. households currently rents a self-storage unit.” I’m sorry but this is F’d up!
I almost thought it would be higher
“Life Storage” is the best of the names for sure.
Most apt for sure.
Fantastic project! Forgive me if I missed mention of this NYT Mag story from 2009, but just in case you haven't come across it: https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06self-storage-t.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk8.eiLA._6UaVScs_CXZ&smid=url-share
It’s a great article! That’s where I got the Self Storage Association stats from. Also features work from the great Tim Davis though a disappointingly small representation of his photographs.
Really love this project, Rob!
Your 5 D’s made me laugh! The 5th one should be a cautionary tale for everyone - Depraved Spending.
So interesting, Rob! As a former New Yorker, I remember that we used our basement for the overflow. Here in FL where I live now we may have small attics, but no basements. Many people park their valuable automobiles in the driveway and then fill up their garage with their unwanted crap! Their garage has become their basement or their attic. We have a narrow, single car garage and that is where the car is kept along with whatever fits on the built-in storage shelving. Anything else has got to go. I have no problem letting go of stuff we don’t need.