The Essential History of Garage Doors

Automatic garage doors are an essential component of modern American homes, to the point where we can no longer imagine a house without one. It’s easy to forget they’re a fairly recent architectural development that went through numerous iterations and innovations before it became what it is today.

In the following article, we’ll take a brief look at the history of garage doors and discuss some of the most impactful technological advancements that transformed the way we think of them. Read on to learn how the wooden carriage doors of old became the sleek, all-automatic, contemporary glass garage doors homeowners in San Diego love so much!

When was the first garage door invented?

Garage doors were originally invented during the beginning of the 20th century. Cars were becoming increasingly commonplace and affordable, and people needed somewhere to store them while they weren’t driving them.

Here’s how it went:

• Carriage house era. Carriage houses were buildings where people kept their horse and buggy, so it stood to reason that they’d park their cars there as well. Unfortunately, keeping cars around horse manure didn’t do any favors to the way the cars smelled. An alternative was needed.
• Large public or private-owned garages were established to meet the needs of car owners. These big garages were widely used until the 1910s, when they fell off due to there simply being too many cars for them to accommodate. 
• The first garages, and the first garage doors, were invented around 1912. They were basically sheds equipped with a large barn door. These double doors were connected to the garage with strap hinges and they opened outwards, just like regular barn doors. This was far from ideal, as the doors suffered significant wear and could be especially difficult to open during wintertime.
• Sliding garage doors were developed. However, they weren’t foldable, so the garage had to be at least double the width of the door. Eventually, the sliding door was split into sections, which were then hinged together at intervals, enabling the door to fold around a corner. This saw the creation of the first “real” garage door.

When did automatic garage doors become popular?

An inventor named C.G. Johnston invented the first overhead garage door in 1921. He further improved his amazing invention in 1926, when he built the first electric garage door opener. The first remote-controlled garage door openers came in 1931, and the first mass-produced, radio-controlled garage door opener became available in 1954.

However, automatic garage doors didn’t become practical for home use until the 1970s, when the split rail was invented, which made custom garage doors a lot easier to design. Improvements to the safety mechanisms of automatic garage doors during the 1980s and the 1990s further increased their popularity.

Another major factor was the shift in materials. Throughout most of the 20th century, wood was the go-to material for garage doors. This changed during the 1970s, when steel, fiberglass, aluminum, and other materials became more popular. This transformed garage doors into a major aesthetic element of the modern American home.

Who installs state-of-the-art contemporary glass garage doors in San Diego?

Radford Garage Doors & Gates of San Diego is a long-standing provider of garage door installation, repair, replacement, and maintenance services. Whether you’re looking to install a highly efficient garage door or book annual maintenance for your existing door, you can count on us to meet your needs with utmost diligence.

We serve the entirety of San Diego, so you can rely on us regardless of whether you’re located in the suburbs or at the very heart of Gaslamp District. Contact us today if you’d like to book our services or learn more about who we are and what we provide.