Garage Door Innovations Over the Years Cater to Modern Lifestyles
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and that is particularly true for garage doors. Transportation and mobility has long been necessary for thriving civilizations. Without the ability to quickly travel over distances, you can bet humankind wouldnât have such a long list of achievements.
And as these vehicle innovations progressed, it was only natural that mankind would want somewhere to keep their latest set of wheels. Keep reading to learn more about the history of the garage door and how we got to where we are today.
âGaragesâ For Chariots
Many ancient civilizations used chariots for transportation and entertainment, including the Egyptians, Romans, and the Celts. The first known chariot was developed by the Eurasian Andronovo or Sintashta cultures before 2,000 BCE.
Just like we need somewhere safe to park our cars today, these ancient peoples, too, wanted somewhere to park their chariots, so gatehouses were employed for this purpose.
Like modern garages, gatehouses could be closed and locked to protect what was stored inside. However, they didnât use overhead doors like we do today. They were secured with a gate – hence the name gatehouse.
The Popularity Of Carriage Houses
Before motor vehicles, carriages, coaches, and buggies were primary forms of transportation, and like chariots, they needed to be stored somewhere safe and out of the elements.
Carriage houses, as we know them in North America, were detached outbuildings that housed carriages and carts when not in use. Sometimes theyâd include lofted staff living quarters as well, but this was only common among the most wealthy.
Carriage house doors swung outward – very different from how garage doors as we know them today operate. However, their classic styling has inspired the charming look of modern overhead door designs.
The Dawn Of Early Garage Doors
In 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for a vehicle powered by a gas engine – the first ever automobile. It made history with its three wheels, but cars were only accessible to the very wealthy at that time.
Because Benzâs car didnât have a roof, it had to be stored inside a carriage house, alongside its predecessors that were still in use – horse-drawn carriages and carts. But as more automobiles were produced, including the Ford Model T, which was affordable for the everyman, garage door innovation had to keep up.
In 1902, Cornell Iron Works made a âfloat over doorâ in Chicago. Variety Manufacturing created a much larger âcross horizontal folding door,â designed to accommodate a locomotive. But they were made individually, and like the first Benz car, simply werenât commonplace.
People with carriage houses continued to store their cars in them, but what about those who didnât have the luxury, or the city dwellers who didnât have the space? They could store their vehicles in public parking lots or parking garages for a monthly fee, the first of which was built in 1918 for the Hotel La Salle in downtown Chicago.
Thank Detroit For Modern Garage Doors
Henry Fordâs Model T, built with interchangeable parts on a moving assembly line in Highland Park in Detroit, may have been what prompted the development of the modern garage and its doors. Because the Model T was mass-produced, the average American could afford an automobile.
Although carriage houses were still in use, they had big flaw. In the winter, snow would pile up in front of the carriage house doors, preventing them from opening. Without a lot of shoveling and sweat, car owners couldnât get their Tin Lizzies out of storage.
In 1921 in Detroit, C.G. Johnson found a solution. He created the first overhead door, which folded while lifting upward. When open, the garage door lay parallel to the buildingâs ceiling. It was a revelation: there was no more work involved keeping the carriage house door clear, and it left plenty of room to park cars and store other household goods in the garage itself.
Johnson wasnât done with his innovations just yet. In 1926, he and his company, Overhead Door Corporation, developed the first electric garage door opener. Americans were immediately attracted to this modern development, and the garage door industry as we know it today was born.
Todayâs Garage Door Technology
Modern garage doors embrace smart-home technology, with operators that open and close at the touch of a button on a smartphone screen, or keypad codes that eliminate the need to carry a bulky remote.
In 1993, photo eye sensors were made available. These serve as a safety device that prevent the door from closing when they detect an object in its path. The mechanical release lets you open a garage door by hand in the event of an emergency or power outage.
The doors themselves, too, have changed over the years. Once made of wood or steel, garage doors come in a variety of materials, so homeowners can choose the best one for their home. Climate is even a consideration, with pre-insulated doors that reduce energy spent on heating and cooling. Some are pinch-resistant, designed to prevent injury or damage to anything that might find itself between garage door panels.
With so many new developments, todayâs overhead door is seemingly unrecognizable from the one developed in the 1900s. One thing hasnât changed, however: people still store one of their most prized possessions behind these protective doors.
