Google garage

Google has added a landmark to its empire by buying the house and garage where founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin launched their fledgling company.

Susan Wojcicki agreed to lease her garage to the young entrepreneurs for for $1700 (£900) per month because she wanted some help paying the mortgage. She is now Google's vice president of product management.

During Google's five-month history there, the garage became like a second home for Page and Brin. According to Wojcicki the pair were either working on their search engine or soaking in the hot tub that still sits on the property. They also had a penchant for raiding Wojcicki's refrigerator - a habit that may have inspired Google to give free food to the 8000 employees on its payroll.

Google declined to reveal how much it paid for its original home, but similar houses in the same neighbourhood have been selling for more than $1.1million - a fraction of the $319million that Google paid for its current 92,903-square-metre headquarters.

Although the Google garage isn't considered a historic site quite yet, it already has turned into a tourist attraction. The busloads of people that show up to take pictures of the house and garage have become such an annoyance that Google asked the media not to publish the property's address.

Unfortunately if you search hard enough on Google, you can find the address.

Google may use the home as a guest house, but nothing definitive has been worked out. "We plan to preserve the property as a part of our living legacy," said Google spokesman Jon Murchinson.