From Carriage House to Home Gym: The American Garage Evolves
United States – October 12, 2026 -- Today's American garage can double as a home gym, office, game room, art studio or even a guest apartment, a long way from its origins as a shelter for horse-drawn carriages. LeMay – America's Car Museum has traced that transformation across more than a century.
Carriage houses laid the blueprint
In the late 19th century, elite homes had carriage houses behind the main residence. They held carriages, tack and feed, often with stalls for horses and upstairs quarters for stablehands or drivers. As cars spread in the early 20th century, these buildings became obsolete, but they set the template for the garage.