That’s Some Ornate Flagstone Work

I decided to drive around the neighborhood to the East of my youngest’s Middle School and came across this beauty. Since it was on a side street, I was able to get out of my car and stand safely in the street to take this pic. The light was a bit too glaring, but beggars can’t be choosers and I wanted to capture this one in case I forget about it (not likely, but who knows?).

Compared to most curbside mailboxes I’ve encountered, this one is quite ornate and clearly required a great deal of time and patience to build. Impressive, IMO.

 

Little House on the Pedestal

Little House on the Pedestal

There are, of course, two basic elements to a normal curbside mailbox: The pedestal or support structure; and the box itself. Mailboxes constructed of stone, concrete, stucco, or brick are usually different from those with pedestals as they usually (but not always) are built to contain the letter box, not merely support it.

I have encountered numerous variants on the pedestal, ranging from the simple metal pole or wooden 4 X 4 to some rather elaborate constructions, including this one. Most pedestals use some sort of triangular support underneath the box and, in this case, we have not only a fairly elaborate setup, but also the addition of some rather ornate woodwork behind and below the box.

I’m thinking this frequently acts as somewhat of a counter weight to the box and the support, which keeps the entire thing from listing toward the road. However, not being an Engineer, I’m not sure it’s necessary. I suppose it is if the box is heavy enough and this one looks like it might just be that heavy to have need of the balance. Maybe someone out there can confirm this for me.

At any rate, I found this one interesting for two reasons. One is the ornate supporting structure, and the other is the “house” they’ve constructed to house the mail. There are numerous examples of this, including some that are designed to mirror the motif of the house they sit in front of. I have examples of a few of those I’ll share later on.