4526 East Duncan Street

When I photograph mailboxes, I don't ring the owner's doorbell or do anything else to get the story of the box — unless I see a resident, or they see me. (As you'd guess, people who see me taking photos of their mailbox tend to walk over and ask what the heck I'm doing.)

On April 18th, I was visiting artists' open studios on the twice-yearly tour. On my way to one of the studios, I passed by a mailbox with plants in front of mountains topped by clouds:

The gate next to the mailbox was open and a man walked out. So I went over to chat and ask if I could photograph the mailbox. He was glad to talk; he told me some of the story. It was painted by an artist named Jessica Lemar who now lives in Colorado. Cars have run into the mailbox a couple of times, but he's kept putting it back up. He put me in touch with Jessica, and she told me about her Facebook page named ArtOrBust. She does a lot of nice work!

Some day I'd like to send postcards to mailbox owners, with my photo of their box, to ask the story of the mailbox and who made it. It's nice when happenstance lets me get the story as I take the photo.

2241 East Hawthorne Street

This tan-colored mailbox sprouts a couple of long leaves from the bottom of its post.

I couldn't find a good angle to show both leaves when I stopped by on April 18th.

4125 East 27th Street

That's a white mailbox with the family's name and handprints in blue. I found it on April 14th.

802 South 8th Avenue?

Last week, David Aber sent me a photo of a mailbox he'd photographed (according to the datestamp imbedded in the photo file) June 9, 2012, at the corner of 18th Street & 8th Avenue. Since that's a while ago, and because there wasn't an exact street address, I drove over to find the box and look for an address.

I found the box, and it's just as in Dave's photo. I didn't find a street address. But the next home south was at 806 South 8th. So I tried both 800 and 802 in Google Maps. The Location box here in Blogger couldn't find either street address, or even the corner of 18th & 8th.
But here's a map link from Bing Maps.

And what is on top of the box?

If you know, please leave a comment below.

4458 East 27th Street

A plain-vanilla (actually, black) mailbox embedded in a post made of stones:

I snapped the photo a week ago, April 14.

4701 East 27th Street

Here's a blue-green mailbox with saguaros and a skull that I spotted earlier today:

843 West River Road

A plain white mailbox on top of a brown chest with brass fittings, from April 4th:

4802 East Seneca Street

Too bad this green box, and post with a white handle and spout attached, doesn't have real water for thirsty bicyclists. (Actually, I didn't try it...)

I panted by on March 27th.

4652 East North Street

(Yes, really: East North Street. Just a couple of blocks east of this spot, south of Grant, are North Farwest Drive, North West Drive, North Midwest Drive, North Mideast Drive, North East Drive, and East South Drive. C’mon, Tucson street namers, this is almost as bad as addresses in Utah like 400 East 400 South. Say what?? :)

Anyway, this little one-block stub of North East Street — just west of Swan — has one of the most fun mailboxes I've seen so far. It's painted white with red lines, to look like a barn. The black post is covered by bright red suspension springs. On top is a piece of steel with the owners’ names cut out by what I'd guess is a welding torch...

Just across the street is one of my favorite hidden Tucson murals.

I ducked into North Street to check my map for a bicycle tour I'm planning to lead during the spring Artists’ Open Studios with Bike Fest 2015. I was there on March 21st.

3351 East 29th Street

The tiles around the top of the stuccoed post that surrounds the black mailbox match the tiles in the entry walk. Address tiles on the wall by the entrance make it a package.

I spotted this trio as I was driving near Reid Park on March 13th.

3109 East 28th Street

This white mailbox looks like it's been out in the sun for a while:

It had faded this much by February 27th.

33 East Adams Street

The black and red design shows the house number: 33. But it also looks heart-shaped to me, as does the scrollwork on the post underneath the box.

I found this unique mailbox on January 9th.

4450 East 28th Street

This black mailbox is mounted on an exhaust manifold with a yellow flag above.

Let's get a closer look:

I raced by on December 25th.

4631 East 24th Street

This candy-striped box stands in a candy-striped pot on the gravel yard.

Even the windowsills are candy-striped. (I took this fuzzy photo from the street. I don't go onto peoples' property.)

I was there on Christmas Day.

4519 East Juarez Street

Most of this plain metal mailbox is covered with multicolored mosaic tiles:

The photo is from Christmas Day.

4212 East Sylvane Drive

With all the scrollwork around this mailbox, can a letter carrier find where to put the mail?

I took the photo on Christmas Day.

4020 East 26th Street

This black car with flames coming out of the hood is headed uphill at an angle such that the letter carrier only has to open the grille and drop the mail in:

I roared by (on my bicycle :) Christmas Day.

4523 North Soldier Trail

Two views of a mailbox inside of a large gray stuccoed post painted with nature scenes:

I drove by on November 9th.

11745 East Summer Trail

This unique fish-shaped box with a rusty iron finish was made by custom metalworker Solaz:

Their website is solaz.biz, and the site shows more mailboxes. I took the photo on November 9th.

Update (April 16, 2015): The artist, Emily Mann, wrote (on another blog entry; I've moved it here): “Hi. Thanks for coming by during Open Studio Tours. I've just installed a new mailbox in Shadow hills with a Tree of Life theme, embellished rusted steel with brushed clean steel and decorative post. --it's welded on and concreted in quite securely! I've just added it to my webpage, solaz.biz and would invite you to go check it out for real.”

3130 North Soldier Trail

It's 2015 and I'm back on my bicycle hunting for mailboxes:

That rusted bike between the posts of a mailbox isn't actually mine, of course; it's missing the seat, handlebars and tires. I drove by (in a car) on November 9th, along the route of the 2014 fall Artists Open Studios tour in far northeast Tucson.

1431 South Palo Verde Avenue

Just in time for the new year, here's an old box on a fence, unused.


It sits behind a new bog-standard mailbox at the curb:

I took both photos almost a year ago: January 1, 2014.

1739 North Nancy Rose Boulevard

Just in time for Christmas, here's our 300th mailbox! It's in a rusty brown color, surrounded by a butterfly and a flower — a calla lily, I'd guess.

I fluttered by on November 16, 2013.

2901 East 26th Street

Here's a pair of black mailboxes with saguaro posts:

I usually don't show saguaro posts, but these two were too fun to miss.

I took their portrait on July 28, 2013.

3274 East 24th Street

This white mailbox is embedded in its custom-made post, with a nook below it and tiles that match the ones on the home's front porch:

It's the last of four boxes along this block of 24th Street. I was there on August 6, 2013.

3265 East 24th Street

Here's a dark blue mailbox with a country scene in reds and browns: a little road winds past trees, one with a swing, and a building (maybe a school?):

The other side of the box is black with the house number.

I rolled by on August 6th, 2013.

3226 East 24th Street

Now for the second of four boxes along 24th near Reid Park. It's dark blue with grass, flowers, butterflies and clouds:

The photos are from August 6, 2013.

3202 East 24th Street

This handpainted mailbox shows some kind of vehicle, but I'm not sure which:

Across the top are parts of three leather straps, two with buckles. And the flag is a U.S. flag.

If you've got a guess what this is, please leave a comment below. Thanks.

I found it on August 6, 2013.

Update (July 30, 2024): Now there's something completely different here. You can see the giant (U of) A in today's post.

3133 East Silverlake Road

Just in time for autumn — in Tucson seasons, anyway — a black mailbox topped with a floppy doll on a cloth saying “Happy Fall”:

I spotted it a year ago: November 14, 2013.

150 East 19th Street

The sun is setting (or rising?) over black hills on this mailbox with fun ironwork between its posts. I snapped the photo on July 28, 2013.

4326 East Flower Street

Here's a mailbox with a shooting star and a critter-shaped flag. I found it on July 4th, 2013.

Like last week's box, there's a flowery post behind.

4318 East Flower Street

Appropriately enough for Flower Street, this box is covered with handpainted blue flowers.

I passed by on July 4, 2013.

2650 North Orchard Avenue

This black mailbox is on a pint-sized post.

I (almost) overlooked it on July 4, 2013.

Albuquerque balloons

It's balloon fiesta week in Albuquerque. Though this is the Tucson Mailbox Art blog, let's jump to New Mexico for a gray mailbox with hot-air balloons:

I took the photo October 29, 2013.

2731 North Orchard Avenue

I found this (mostly) green mailbox on a (partly) red fire hydrant July 4, 2013.

2033 East 9th Street

Offline, out of town, off my bicycle… I haven't posted any mailboxes for (exactly) four months now. I'll aim to put at least one online each week for the rest of the year, and more in the new year. Let's get back to the boxes!

Though this terracotta mailbox isn't special by itself, it fits with the artistic front of its home. The owner told me that he wanted the back of the box to protrude from the other side of the wall so he wouldn't need to open the gate to get the mail. But the builder built the wall first.

I was there on June 30, 2013.

324 North Norris Avenue

I rolled by a simple entrance and white wooden mailbox at 324 N. Norris on June 30, 2013.

121 North Norris Avenue

This artistic fence and "post" mailbox (on a post made from a tree branch) were spotted at 121 N. Norris on June 30, 2013.

1347 North Plumer Avenue

This rust-finished mailbox with turquoise accents is at 1347 N. Plumer. Click there for a Google map.

I found it on June 27, 2013.

2320 East Adams Street

From June 27, 2013: a simple design with a turquoise maildrop:

For some reason, the address, 2320 E Adams, wouldn't appear in the Location box. Click there for a Google map.

3342 East Seneca Street

The owner left this black mailbox hanging out… on a unique right-angle post with numbers welded to the post:

I took the photo on June 25, 2013.