Downey grew out of Rancho Santa Gertrudes, carved from the old Nieto grant in 1834, and takes its name from John Gately Downey, governor of California from 1860 to 1862, who began dividing his rancho into small farms along the San Gabriel River in 1865. The town was settled in 1873 as the railroad came through, and orange and walnut groves, dairies and beet farms filled the land until the Second World War. Tract homes followed, the city incorporated in 1956, and the plant where Apollo command and service modules were built later became the site of a space learning center. Most Downey houses come from those postwar decades, and that shapes the storage inside them.
Downey homes and what they mean for storage
- 1950s tract homes: the single biggest share of the city's housing, built on lots of 5,000 square feet and up, where the bedroom reach-in is the main closet in the house. Double hang on one side and a drawer stack on the other lets two people share it without a dresser in the room.
- Larger-lot streets: lots of 7,500 square feet and more, many split from older farm and estate parcels, where the garage tends to collect tools, bikes and holiday boxes. Wall cabinets, a workbench and ceiling-height shelving give each its own spot.
- Townhomes: the city's typical multifamily building is a townhouse over a ground-floor garage, so that garage is also the storage room. Cabinets along the side walls keep the parking space clear.
Garage conversions are one of the most common ways Downey homeowners add an accessory unit, and when the garage becomes a living space, everything stored there has to move indoors. Planning the closets in the main house and the new unit at the same time gives those boxes, tools and seasonal things a home.
How your Downey visit works
Downey is part of our Los Angeles service area, served by Closet World Southern California in Whittier. Your designer arrives for a free design visit, measures every wall involved, works out the layout with you and leaves you with a complete in-home estimate, with installation in as little as 9 days. Systems are made in our own City of Industry, CA factory and installed by our own crew, never subcontractors, and most closets and garages are done in a day. The work is backed by a 7+ year warranty. Request a design visit.