Why the driveways/garages felt “small” (1946–1950 tract boom)
- Post-war starter homes on narrow lots: GI Bill + FHA-backed loans pushed efficient, high-volume construction on modest parcels. Smaller setbacks and lot widths = narrow driveways.
- Cost & materials: lumber, steel, and concrete were still supply-constrained after WWII, so builders minimized slab and wall area.
- Car culture was different: most families had one car; a “two-car” garage was a value add, often sized just to barely fit two midsize sedans—no SUVs, bikes, tool benches, or gym gear.
- Zoning & pattern: garages often front-loaded; a single narrow driveway flared at the apron to a two-bay or two narrow doors.
Typical sizes (then vs now)
- Driveway width per car: ~8–9 ft was common (today you’ll see 9–10 ft).
- “Two-car” driveway: ~16–18 ft at the curb (many flared near the garage).
- Garage interiors you’ll see in late-40s homes: ~18×18 ft, 18×20 ft, sometimes 16×20 ft. That fits two 1940s sedans (~5.7–6.3 ft wide each) with inches to spare, but door swing was cramped. Depth was often 18–20 ft, so long hoods meant you parked carefully.
Did two cars really fit?
- Yes—two typical sedans of the era side-by-side would fit in an 18×20. But you didn’t have today’s storage, workbenches, freezers, strollers, and bikes in there. Many families used tandem parking in the driveway or kept one car outside.
What cars were around 1947? (representative, with rough dimensions)
- Chevrolet Fleetline / Fleetmaster: ~196–198” long, ~73–74” wide.
- Ford Super Deluxe / Custom: ~195–197” long, ~73” wide.
- Plymouth Special Deluxe: ~196” long, ~73” wide.
- Studebaker Champion (Starlight coupe launched ’47): ~190–193” long, ~70” wide.
- Buick Super / Roadmaster (larger): ~205–210”+ long, ~77–79” wide (these made small garages feel tiny).
- Oldsmobile 66/76: ~200” long, ~74” wide.
- Packard Clipper: ~205–210” long, ~76–77” wide.
- Kaiser–Frazer (new post-war brands, ’47 on): ~198–202” long, ~73–74” wide.
- Willys CJ-2A (civilian Jeep): ~132” long, ~59” wide—short but tall; easy to fit lengthwise, plenty of side clearance.
Rule of thumb to visualize fit
- Two typical ’47 sedans side-by-side: ~12 ft combined width plus mirrors/door bulge; add ~2 ft total clearance = ~14 ft. In an 18-ft-wide garage you’ve got ~2 ft of buffer per side/center total—workable, but not generous. Depth-wise, a 196–200” car in an 18–20 ft (216–240”) deep garage leaves ~1–3 ft for a workbench or walking room.
Bottom line
- Driveways and “two-car” garages from 1947 look small today because they were purpose-built for narrower, lower cars and fewer belongings. They did the job—barely—if you parked with precision and didn’t expect modern storage space.