Today, we don’t think twice about the garage’s central place in our lives and home designs. It wasn’t always this way, though. Let’s take a look at the history of the garage; its journey from the early days to the structure we know and love, today.

Origins

The word “garage” comes from the French word “garer”, which means “to shelter”. That’s exactly what the earliest garages were: shelters. In the early 20th century, garages were converted barns and gable houses. They remained unattached from the main house. Different types of vehicles needed different types of shelters to accommodate their needs. Garages were rarely attached to the main house if intended for electric vehicles. Unlike electric vehicles, gasoline automobiles brought a fear of sparking a fire and therefore kept far from the main house.

The Evolution of the Garage

As cars became more commonplace, garages for the upper class became multi-vehicle storage, maintenance, and living quarters for chauffeurs. These large, attached garages contained all of the materials and amenities needed to care for early 20th century cars. Social hierarchy played a part in the acceptance of the attached garages. Chauffeurs remained higher on the social ladder than the grooms in the stable. Therefore it was acceptable for the garage to be attached to the home, where the chauffeurs could be near the other servants.

As the safety, durability, and affordability of cars improved, attached garages became commonplace in most homes. Architects in the 1920s began to embrace the attached garage as a design element, (although one to be generally minimized), and in 1926, the automatic garage door opener was invented by C.G. Johnson (unfortunately not popularized until the 70s).

The Car at the Center

The movement of the garage closer to the main house, making no attempt to conceal it, and finally including an inner door to provide quick access to the garage, has a lot to do with the importance of the car. As our society has come to embrace our vehicles more and more, the car, and therefore the garage, has come to occupy a more central place in our home.

Here at Missouri Door & Dock, we love helping you make your garage into a functional space with a beautiful design. Contact us today to learn more.