Phyllis Brown
At the turn of the 20th century, the rapid rise of automobiles brought an immediate challenge: finding parking space for these vehicles. This led to the innovation of vertical parking garages.
Explore a collection of intriguing vintage photos showcasing the innovation of early vertical parking garages from 1920 to 1960.
These images capture the remarkable transformation in urban infrastructure, reflecting the rise of automobile culture and the ingenious solutions developed to address parking challenges in bustling cities.
Evolution of elevator parking systems
Innovative vertical parking solutions emerged to address parking space scarcity in urban areas. In December 1921, Popular Mechanics introduced one of the earliest proposals for a fully autonomous parking garage.
This innovative idea envisioned a building that could function without human intervention, sparking the imagination of engineers and urban planners.
Over the next fifty years, car parking machines began appearing on buildings across America, especially in cities like Chicago and New York.
The advent of these systems aimed to increase the value of cars for city residents, stimulate downtown shopping, and improve traffic flow by removing parked cars from the streets.
By 1923, Westinghouse had developed the “Ferris wheel,” or paternoster system, first installed in Chicago. This system could efficiently park eight cars in the space usually occupied by two.
The University of Michigan records even earlier examples from 1905 Paris, where a parking system in the Garage Rue de Ponthieu used internal transportation to lift cars to different levels.
Another proposal from an Ohio inventor in the 1920s suggested a circular steel garage tower capable of holding 200 automobiles, though it never reached the market.
In May 1952, Popular Mechanics reported on A.G. Dezendorf’s robotic parking garage. This innovative system used robots to park and retrieve cars in an 18-floor building without human intervention.
However, despite the technological marvel, these systems often created new problems, such as long wait times and maintenance issues.
Throughout this evolution, architects and designers sought to integrate these mechanical systems within more aesthetically pleasing building designs.
One notable example is the Kent Garage in New York City, an Art Deco skyscraper that blended seamlessly with its surroundings while featuring an automated parking system.
As Serhii Chrucky from Forgotten Chicago notes, Chicago’s modernist parking garages often showcased vehicles rather than hiding them, with Facility № 8 being the only one to feature an automated system.
This municipal garage, opened in 1954, centrally located across from City Hall, boasted completely automated lifts instead of space-consuming ramps.
Their impact on urban landscapes
The rise of elevator parking garages significantly shaped urban landscapes. These structures allowed for the efficient use of limited city space, accommodating more vehicles in a vertical format rather than sprawling horizontal lots.
This innovation helped clear streets of parked cars, which improved traffic flow and made downtown areas more accessible for shoppers and workers.
By blending into cityscapes with architectural styles like Art Deco, these garages harmonized with surrounding buildings, contributing to the aesthetic and functional evolution of urban environments.
Captivating vintage photos of early vertical parking garages
1. An elevator parking lot in New York c. 1920
2. Everyday Science and Mechanics, January 1932
4. A car teeters at the top of a paternoster parking elevator as a result of a broken bolt in Denver, Colorado, 1970s
5. The central well of an automatic car park in England, 1960s
6. An “autosilo” garage in Karlsruhe, Germany,1955
7. A man parks a car with the help of a forklift, 1955
8. The Autorimessa Piazzale Roma, a garage in Piazzale Roma, Venice, Italy, 1950s
9. The Autorimessa Piazzale Roma
10. Vertical parking garage in Chicago, 1936
11. The Nash Motors automobile elevator displayed at the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago 1933
12. A vertical parking lot structure in Chicago, 1940s
13. Le Marbeuf garage in Paris, 1930s
14. Inside Le Marbeuf garage in Paris, 1930
15. Citroen cars in Le Marbeuf garage in Paris, designed by architects Albert Laprade and L. E. Bazin, 1930s
16. A vertical parking machine, 1930s 
