A brief history of the car port

The Car Port.

Three simple words that evoke, well, what?

In the UK such a structure is often regarded as a compromise by householders in that it is neither a garage nor a complete shelter for a vehicle or as an amenity area tacked on to the side of a property.

By definition it can be an uncomplicated thing, prefabicated or home made but not necessarily cheap. The typical set-up is of a basic wooden frame supported on metal stanchions and overlaid in a lightweight, transluscent corrugated plastic. Attached to the side wall of a house or bungalow it provides a useful covered area but is fully open to inclement weather. Most examples are, as you can see not very imaginative or stylish.

Basic English Car Port

The materials can be easily damaged by wind, rain and from loadings of ice and snow and require regular running repairs so as not to deteriorate completely, even after only a short time.

Modular or pre-formed examples can be a single section, bolted to the house wall and cantilevered out without the need for any vertical supports or bracing. These tend to be in upvc cladding with benefits of minimal maintenance other than an annual wash down to remove the airborne dirt and grime.

Modular type

Culturally in this country the car port has not really been accepted as preference will always be given to a proper undercover parking area of a garage for those with a space to put one.

Yet, in the United States a car port is an aspirational thing, as much as a verandah, deck or private swimming pool.

This elevated status is from the association of the car port with the pace-setting, progressive and visionary Architect and thinker, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959).

Such structures did already exist and  as early as 1909, carports were used by the Prairie School architect Walter Burley Griffin in his design for the Sloane House in Elmhurst, Illinois. By 1913, carports were also being employed by other Prairie School architects such as the Minneapolis firm of Purcell, Feick & Elmslie in their design for a residence at Lockwood Lake, Wisconsin.

In this instance, the carport was termed an "Auto Space" , reflecting the novelty at that time of private car ownership.

The late architectural historian David Gebhard suggested that the term "carport" originated from the feature’s use in 1930s Streamline Moderne residences . This term, which entered popular jargon in 1939, stemmed from the visual connection between these streamlined residences and nautical imagery.

In the two decades from the 1930s to the 1950s, carports were championed by Frank Lloyd Wright in his Usonian Houses for their simplicity and affinity to his minimalistic designs.

Classic Frank Lloyd Wright Car Port

Lloyd Wright’s logic was quite forward thinking and demonstrated in his actual house commissions the suitability of the carport in the modern era. He understood that a traditional garage was originally designed to store not only the car but also the fuel and tools for proper maintenance. By the late 1920’s such consumables were conveniently available at local service stations, thus eliminating the need for a standard garage and the extra space it provided.

Lloyd Wright was also very keen on design elements that reduced clutter.

Along with eliminating the superfluous basement and cramped attic spaces, which were often a temptation for householders to use as a furniture depository or general dumping ground , he also felt the garage was an opportunity for the same problem. He was convinced the carport, with no walls to hide a mess, would lend itself to a tidy environment.

Additionally the carport was an efficient use of resources because it required less building material than a garage and served multiple tasks once constructed. Not only did the carport provide protection and storage for the car, but it also served very nicely as a covered main entryway, a place to entertain and do outdoor cooking, a spacious front porch, a shady place on a hot sunny day, and a relaxing place to hang out on a rainy day.

Unfortunately in the UK we have not had the same respect and acceptance of the car port as a permanent feature for our homes.