But it's hard to find a garage without a car or a garbage can in front of it, so I grabbed this shot hoping the purply-blue flowers might make it into a photo. I didn't notice until I got the picture onto my screen how interesting the garage is, regardless of the flowers. I love the complete individuality of the doors. Even the hinges don't match.
The fact that the padlock is painted the same color as the rest tells me these doors are rarely opened, if ever. I can't tell from the street, but this could be a storage space, or someone's studio or office, entered from the yard on the other side of the fence.
I hope they don't plan to "fix" those doors. They're perfect the way they are.
24 comments:
A building with real character, Petrea. I bet it could tell some tales.
As for impressing us Europeans: our garages only go back to the start of the 20th century, too, though with the coooold weather this morning I feel like my old bones go back a lot further.
Petrea, we have old garages in our area many of which have been converted to studios. Perhaps the fact that this garage can be entered from the yard saved the replacement of the wonderful old doors. They just closed them off, painted them over, and left them. Yay!
Genie
yes
It's a Mondrian, done in white. Perfectly balanced in it's asymmetrical way. Even the fussiness of the flowers offsets the vertical fence opposite.
Aren't most old garages too small to accommodate today's cars?
It struck me as well....the garage must have been built for a Model T Ford. I'd love to know the story of the doors, and what happened to the one that was replaced. Which do you think it was? The right side looks older.
Oh yes! We had a little "two-car" garage from the model-T era like this at a house I rented. Ours was green with a red climbing rose by the door.
It was a welding shop, then a TV/guest room... but if it had ever been turned into a proper living space, we would have had to make room for a real, behemoth, two-car parking area in the yard. Who wants one of those when you can have a beautiful little garage like this?
Ha! Dive, I could have phrased that better, couldn't I? There are no 19th century garages, of course.
I'll guess the door on the right is the older one because of the style of the hinges. And yes, the old garages are small. I think you could get a compact car into them but only if you don't store anything inside. We use our garage for storage.
I'm fascinated by the charm of a...garage!!! Our old "little house" garage would have been a fun one to take photos of...built in 1912, the garage doors looked like barn doors...but alas, it is no more...
Love it! The flowers are an added bonus.
I would've loved to have seen that place, Chieftess. It sounds like it was a real treasure.
J.J., YOU are an added bonus!
I love the plumeria (is that it?) on the side. I love how you make something so simple so very special.
V
Oh, so much character.
Could be plumeria, Virginia. I don't know for sure. It's pretty stuff, though. If I figure out what it is I'd like to grow some.
Yeah, Hiker. I love the old nooks and crannies around here.
Those old garages were built to accommodate Model T and Model A sized cars. The door on the right is definitely older. I agree with Petrea that the hinges are a clue, but not because of the type. One can still easily find gate hinges (as are used on the right-hand door) but no one in their right mind these days would use them on the outside of the structure - the lock does no good when one can just unscrew the hinge. Also, the material on the left is an aggregate of plywood, whereas the material on the left is "2 in 1 T&G"; that is, 6-inch tongue & groove routed with a faux groove to simulate 3-inch bead board.
Oh, and the plants on the side are Plumbago canariensis - Blue Cape Plumbago
Lovely composition!
What is unique/strange about this is the fence along the left side of the frame; fences are usually built along property lines, so it appears to go thru the garage.
Greg, plumbago it is. Thank you! I love the stuff. It's really pretty.
PIO, thanks.
Steve, you're right. I didn't notice if it came out the other end.
OH! How embarrassing! Plumbago capensis (meaning from the Cape of Good Hope/South Africa region), NOT canariensis (which would mean it comes from the Canary Islands), but good stuff nevertheless... It must like automobiles because it also grows along many SoCal freeways.
Fascinating doors that take your imagination back to days with fewer and smaller automobiles. The flowers are a nice touch. The scene would be a nice subject for a watercolor painting.
Greg. Nobody would have known.
Might add a horse and buggy, eh, Ms. M?
I miss our old Pasadena garage! It was behind our family home on Earlham st. My great-grandfather built the house in 1923 and incorporated a huge old barn (that used to be part of a nursery on that street) that was probably from the turn of the century into a garage. We had generations of stuff stored back there. I loved exploring it as a kid. Hope it's still standing!
Su_Tune, can you send me the address? If you don't want to put it here, my email address is in my profile at the left side of the blog. I like Earlham St. (I featured it here), and would be happy to go back and see if I can get a shot of that barn for you.
Hmm. Any kind, I imagine. If it were mine, though, I'd set up my desk and write a book, gazing out the window from time to time to check on my garden.
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