Garages

For this week, you are reading J. B. Jackson’s essay on garages. What has happened to garages since Jackson published this piece? Either visit some recently built houses, or visit them virtually online (e.g., realtor.com) to get some idea. How do you interpret these changes?


Garages have changed quite a bit over time, from being isolated from the house to being incorporated with it.

Jackson connects this Post-WWII phenomenon with the use of the house
" as a place for recreation and entertainment." (Jackson 124) He also mentions the multi-purpose
qualities of a garage (storage space, laundry room, etc.) as being instrumental to their popularity.

These qualities have been a constant in the half a century since Jackson wrote this essay, and are reflected in the architectural landscape we see today.

Three-car garages have become even more popular, as houses have expanded in size.

However, detached garages have not lost their popularity.

Also, carriage houses are still being built for those with more cars than children.

The use of garages as storage space has held constant as well.

For the most part, the use of a garage hasn't changed much over the years.