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February 7, 2008
historic mailbox
does anyone know where we could find an in-the-wall mailbox that's more in synch with the turn-of-the-century design of our brownstone than the ones that you usually see in 10-unit buildings?
Comments
I saw a really cool one at Pitchniks--it was cast iron and good for a one family. If its a multi-unit the best I have been able to find is the standard multislot but to a bronze--i think it was at mailboxes.com.
Posted by: HomeSweetstuy at February 7, 2008 9:48 PM
I may have a resource for you - how many units (mailboxes) are you looking for?
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 10:59 PM
Just google wall mounted mailbox -- you'll get several sites, many of which have "Victorian" or somewhat designed options.
Posted by: guest at February 7, 2008 11:23 PM
Before you replace your boxes make sure that the ones you are installing will be accepted by the post office. They actually have strick guidelines.
The older style ones are considered too small.
Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 6:10 PM
the amount of decorative mailboxes we're looking for is 6-10, depending on availability & design.
we would love to hear your resource, since we already googled mailbox.com & a million other sites and are not finding any multis with any character at all.
Posted by: brownstone89 at February 8, 2008 7:28 PM
http://houseofantiquehardware.com/s.nl/sc.13/category.168/.f
The above site has some of the individual boxes. If you are looking for a bank of boxes then you are probably SOL if you want historic looking. Salsbury makes boxes but they are functionally ugly.
There is another option which I hesitate to suggest. If you can get someone to design it there is a brass foundry in Syracuse that will make just about anything.
Posted by: albany at February 8, 2008 8:27 PM
The reason multis don't have character is, as one of the above posters noted, there are postal regulations about the size of the boxes. So you need a basic box, one that is post office approved.
The one I found back when I was looking for my building was at this place in Massachusetts, where they actually have brass-plated versions of the typical appproved boxes. They have different brass finishes, and some cheaper ones that are more like light fixture finishes, and they will send you samples if you ask them. Call them for info. http://www.housingdevices.com/mailbox.htm
The new box was deeper than the really old one (the kind with the skinny half-doors that flip up) that we replaced (the post office requires deeper boxes than they did 100 years ago.) So the contractor I hired to install it built a marble frame, to match the old marble on our entryway wall, to deal with that. (You need to check out your wall depth and figure out whether your box will be flush with wall or not before you order.) Looks great - our mailman said we had the best looking mailbox in the neighborhood. (Both the local lock store that I checked, and the contractor, said they had tried to find brass ones for customers, but couldn't - but then, they didn't spend as much time surfing the web as I did :-)
The brass really does make a difference - it's basically the same box as the aluminum and awful-looking gold-is color that you can find everywhere else. But being in brass, it fits in aesthetically much better, like the old one did. Costs more, of course.
Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 10:51 PM
Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I have a related question. I've been trying to find fugly standard mailboxes to redesign. If anyone is getting rid of these, I'll take them off your hands. I'd like to recycle these things and not buy new. Thanks. infoATreclaimedhomeDOTcom
Posted by: rh at February 9, 2008 9:47 AM
Be careful of ordering from House of Antique Hardware (www.houseofantiquehardware.com).
They have some good products but they seem to be getting anal about the 20 day return policy which is fine if you are stuck in Oregon, but since shipping to the east coast takes a week and a week back to them theres a good chance they'll stick you with a restocking fee.
Posted by: guest at March 21, 2008 12:14 PM
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