Former Paper Factory to Be Converted to Self-Storage in South Philadelphia

Real estate developer Gary Ott is converting a former paper factory in South Philadelphia into Philly Self Storage, which will comprise more than 2,000 units once complete. Ott purchased the Dubin Paper Co. building in February for $3.25 million, according to the source. The first 300 storage units opened this week, with another 340 scheduled to open in August.

The property at 1910 S. Columbus Blvd. had been vacant since 2012 when the paper company shuttered. The three-story, 230,000-square-foot building was in disrepair and plagued by city code violations, Ott told the source. “The biggest problem was that the sprinkler system was inoperable, and [the building] was filled with trash and graffiti. It was a hot house for bad things to happen,” he said.

However, the building’s proximity to several shopping areas was appealing to Ott. “Everyone is moving back to Philly now, so if you combine the population increase with the retail nature of this location, it’s going to provide a service the neighborhood really does need,” he said.

The conversion project included the addition of a new concrete floor for support and to level the building. A new roof was installed, and the outdated sprinkler system was upgraded, the source reported.

The sheer size of the building posed a design challenge for the interior hallways, Ott told the source. Since the site layout replicates the city’s grid plan, his solution was to name each hallway after a city street. “The building is so big that you can’t just tell a customer the number of their unit. They still get a number, but this way, we can tell them to go down Vine and take a right on Chestnut to find their unit,” Ott said.

The facility is expected to be completed in about three years, the source reported. It will employ four full-time people now, with up to four more as it’s finished.

Ott previously developed four similar storage projects in Germantown, Kensington, South Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, Pa., which he sold in 2007, the source reported. He’s hoping to build a new self-storage portfolio through additional conversion projects.