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January 25, 2007

The Brownstone Mailbox Dilemma

mailbox
During our renovation, we were too busy worrying about things like plumbing and flooring to even think about a mailbox. And now here we are, almost a 18 months after moving in, and we still don't have one. We've been keeping an eye out for something antique but haven't found anything. We just can't bring ourselves to put up one of these metal boxes either. Granted, they look better when they are recessed into the stoop but we have to believe there are better options out there. What have some of you done? Our tenant is getting tired of wet mail.




Posted by Brownstoner at 9:29 AM | Comments (26)
Categories: Brownstones, Clinton Hill, Renovation

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Luckily, they still climb my stoop and put everyones mail through the mail slot in the door.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 9:44 AM

You could commission a nice one (might be pricey, but maybe no more than an antique would have been). It would be a good way to take advantage of the limitless access we have to artistic talent around here, and a good way to add a modern/ interesting touch to an old building.

Posted by: waverly at January 25, 2007 9:45 AM

at my brownstone's the mailboxes are in the same spot as the picture above but iv'e recessed mine .

in another building iv'e put a key keeper outside and have the maibox in the lobby recessed in the wall .

Posted by: eletricgreek at January 25, 2007 9:47 AM

I'm so glad you threw this question out there - I've been having the same dilemma for just as long!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 9:48 AM

my mail carrier puts our mail thru out slot (up the stoop) and drops our garden tenants mail into a box thru the grate

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 9:48 AM

FWIW I understand the USPS is phasing out up-the-stoop mail delivery.

I did a big search for mailboxes in my latest renovation, and found these: http://www.bobi.com/

Their rounded top works well with some rounded elements on the facade; this kind would also be great mounted into an understoop gate.

--an architect in Brooklyn

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 9:56 AM

In our 3 family I tried to do the antique reprduction thing. It looked nice didn't work out because I didn't want 3 mailboxes. I don't like looking a so many boxes. Anyway, what I did was buy one large simple black mailbox with a top lid. It looks nice and makes everthing simple. I sort the mail most often and leave it in front of the tenants door. I don't think it's a big deal and they do the same for me.

Posted by: Rick at January 25, 2007 10:02 AM

Before I bought my brownstone in Fort Greene, there was a wooden, unlocked box with a flap hanging from the wrought iron grated door on the ground floor. This really didn't make it for me and I embarked upon an adventure to get a lock box installed and an internal, locked mailbox in our lobby.

I had the lockbox and internal mailbox installed by All Security (to be avoided at all costs - truly insane operation and overpriced). Plaster had to be cut in order to install the boxes. It required a lot of phone calls, visits, etc. to the Post Office (Fulton and Cambridge) to get the Post Office to finally get the key I gave them into the lock box.

It took me about 5 weeks in total to do this, thanks to All Security and USPS. It now works after a fashion. There are two challenges however. The Post Office people do not have the greatest sorting and filing skills so our tenants often are giving one another misfiled mail. The other one has been more aggravating and has required real persistance on my part. The current situation requires the Post Office carrier to go up the stairs to the Parlor level, open the lockbox, open the building door and then place the sorted mail into the mailbox slots in the lobby. It is much easier to just throw the mail through the iron grated door on the ground floor where the old mailbox used to be.

I have made a sign which I have had on my door for some time now which says that mailboxes are upstairs, please do not put mail down here.... However, despite the sign, carriers were continuing to throw the mail on the floor downstairs behind the grated door. I was sorting, soggy, disintegrating mail and giving it to cranky tenants who were understandably upset. I went on a campaign to get the post office to stop doing this which has taken many calls (a guy called Kane has been very helpful) to the post office and now this practice seems to have stopped.

If I had to do this all over again, I would have saved myself the money and aggravation and installed an outdoor wrought iron locked box, given each tenant a key, allowing them to take their mail from the mailbox themselves (requires some trust there...). Having said that, the current situation seems to be OK finally.

Posted by: donatella at January 25, 2007 10:13 AM

I have two quests: a decent looking protected mailbox (my mailcarrier drops all mail rubberbanded on to the floor of my downstairs entrance. Needless to say its often wet or frozen) and a decent looking ceiling fan.

All of the larger mail boxes legal for NYC use are hideous with gold colored eagles or some kind of icky doodads on them with extra ugly "colonial" touches. (Did you ever wonder exactly what "colonial" connotes? Opression?)

All of the ceiling fans are cutesy with crappy looking brackets and fussy lamps. A million years ago - before it was easy to find ceiling fans in the US - a friend brought back a very plain one from Mexico and re-wired it. The blades were beautiful - twisted like a boat propellor directly from the shaft without superfluous decoration.

Anybody seen either? Can we custom make em?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 10:15 AM

Whatever you do, make sure the mailbox locks securely. We suspect stolen mail as the source of a nasty case of identity theft that took over one year to untangle.

We bought our current mailbox at Pintchik Hardware on Flatbush and mounted it on our stoop gate.

Posted by: Anon on Greene at January 25, 2007 10:24 AM

i grew up in a brownstone on the upper west side and it had recessed mailboxes at the top of the stoop in a small foyer before a second door (never had problems with people sleeping in the foyer).

and unlike brooklyn, the mailmen never seemed to have problems walking up the stairs.

Posted by: dahl at January 25, 2007 10:28 AM

We got one large locking stainless steel mailbox (black) online for everyone's use. It's reasonably attractive and holds plenty of mail--and keeps it dry. All the tenants have a key and it's worked out well.

Posted by: tinarina at January 25, 2007 10:46 AM

we don't have tenants anymore, but we've never had a problem with the mail carrier walking up the stoop to drop the mail thorugh the mail slot onto our hall floor. When we had tenants, we sorted and dropped it off downstairs in the internal hallway. Is it just rumor that USPS is going to stop the up-the-stoop climb or really fact? I never even knew this was a potential problem...

Posted by: kcf at January 25, 2007 11:43 AM

Before I put in a new mailbox I asked the post office if they can just put it through the door. They told me that they must deliver it to the same place they always did. So, since our box was under the stairs, we had to keep it there. I just bought a nice big single box online and leave a key nearby for tenants to get it and sort through it. The remaining mail for other tenants goes on a lovely antique peice (don't know what they're called: coat hooks, mirror, counter) in the hallway.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 12:33 PM

Get a key keeper!
Yes it will be a battle to get the USPS to OK it, and come and install their part of the key.
But it is so worth it. The mailperson will be able to access the vestibule and not only leave
mail (in a mailbox recessed into the wall) but they can leave packages there too.
This eliminates having to go to the post office to pick up the package.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 1:00 PM

We had the same problem. In fact, when we bought our house, the mailman had been putting the mail under the gate under the stoop and our mail was stolen, wet etc. We put a slot in the door and it works great. We also went down to the post office on a saturday to make sure our mailman did not mind, which he did not and it and was a good chance to meet him.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 2:13 PM

smith and hawken

Posted by: beckersny at January 25, 2007 2:28 PM

a mail slot is the best way. it's pretty simple to install with a good carpenter.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 25, 2007 5:33 PM

No matter what you try..you'll still have to sort through the big rubberband jumble yourself and put in front of your tenants apt. door.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 26, 2007 6:27 AM

You might try Rejuvenation. They have some great mailboxes that look pre-war and older.

Rejuvenation

Posted by: Jess at January 26, 2007 4:00 PM

For some reason my hyperlink didn't go through. Here's the address:

http://www.rejuvenation.com/fixshow1588/templates/selection.phtml

Posted by: Jess at January 26, 2007 4:01 PM

What's next..an award for compromising
the security of their mail?????? How
about some "real" issues on this site !!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 26, 2007 5:46 PM

www.mailboxes.com

Posted by: BIG D @ BKNY at January 26, 2007 6:41 PM

What do you all do about larger packages? Does giving out a key to the security gate on the garden level door work with the USPS? Like will they open the gate and put packages inside that gate? Currently their practice is to put items through the slot in the door and leave what doesn't fit on the stoop. I think we'll have to get a mailbox at a nearby shipping place, for packages, but say for checks from the bank (sent from out of state) those can't be sent anywhere but to the home address on the checks. Talk about a problem if those get taken!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 27, 2007 8:19 AM

Just add a catch-basket to the inside of the door so the mail doesn't get all wet on the floor.

Posted by: ichiro at January 29, 2007 10:22 AM

Help!
I live in an apt. in a Brownstone in W. Harlem. The Mail is delivered to the super, who lives in the Basement, and leaves the mail on a table upstairs in the main foyer. HOWEVER, There is a new SUper and Mail is now missing and frequently torn- clearly someone is rifling the mail to pick out anything that appears to be of value.
1)Is the Landlord required to provide separate mailboxes for tenants?
2)What's the best way to have this investigated? (I called the postal Inspector and asked if I should run some "Test Mail" with a Photocopied dollar or something visible in an envelope - Her response was "If you do that someone in the P.O. will steal it for sure !!!)

Posted by: E.J., W. Harlem at February 16, 2007 12:24 PM

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