Metro U.S. Postal Service reopens Longfellow office

Susan also noticed fewer counters—two now, with one that is wheelchair-accessible, instead of the three adult-height counters that were there before. The TV in the old post office, which probably dated back to when the station was built in 1970, is also gone.

In the front of the building, the station now has two sets of doors—one pair that opens inward, the other pair that opens outward, perhaps to facilitate long lines. By the doors, the plaque that lists the name of the station and the city it serves—Minnehaha, Minnesota—reflects a nonexistent Minnesota city.

The station has six parking spaces, compared to the five it had at the old site. And the site also has fewer bike racks, which can only handle four bicycles, down from five at the old station.

Other changes are more subtle. For decades, the postal service leased the land for the station from Ehlen Associates, a Bloomington-based company. They sold the land to the postal service in October 2022. Two years prior, the agency considered moving to another site and solicited public comment on the move. The postal service decided in February 2021 to remain at the current site.

The U.S. Postal Service took a while to get the Minnehaha Station fully up and running. In the first two weeks since it reopened, they were only distributing and receiving mail. However, retail services opened up the week of June 12.

The opening of the Minnehaha Station clears the way for the U.S. Postal Service to vacate the Kmart building, which the city expects will be closed by June 30. After that, the city will start the eight-month-long process that will culminate with the building being razed, and ultimately the reconnection of Nicollet Avenue, which has long been disconnected by the now-vacant retail store.

The new station looks different from the outside compared to the old one. What was once a brick-faced building is now clad in a precast concrete facade, painted to reflect the colors of the postal service. The layout inside, however, remains mostly unchanged aside from a couple of minor changes.

“You don’t see what’s going on in the back like you used to,” said Susan, who declined to provide her last name. The warehouse behind the counter, where postal workers sort mail, is now obscured by a wall painted red with numbers denoting the zip code it serves—55406.

Residents who needed to send mail while the Minnehaha post office was out of service had to go to a post office on Bloomington Avenue, about a mile to the west. For Susan, it was not convenient. “I’m glad the [Minnehaha] post office is open again,” she said. “Two years or three years is hard when you have no other way to send or receive your mail.”

However, those who needed to get mail from a P.O. box in the old post office had to go to the old Kmart building at Lake and Nicollet.

Obituary

Dr. Charles Edward Crutchfield III

Sunrise, January 17, 1961—Sunset, June 21, 2023 r. Charles Edward Crutchfield III passed away peacefully on June 21, 2023, after bravely battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for two and a half years. He was surrounded by his loving family.

Born on January 17, 1961, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Charles was the beloved son of Drs. Charles Crutchfield and Susan Crutchfield Mitsch. He took great pride in being the older brother of Carleton, Christopher, Robert, Raushana, and Rashad. Even during his young adulthood, Charles was known for his self-confidence, generosity, and unwavering determination. Charles embodied these values throughout his life. He possessed a warm and outgoing personality, forging connections with ease and bringing people together. Charles approached life with boundless optimism and a playful sense of humor, embracing every moment to its fullest. Charles attended Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis for high school, where he excelled as an athlete and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his senior class. He graduated with honors from Minnehaha Academy in 1978 and pursued his passion for biology at Carleton College. Charles then continued his medical education at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, and completed his dermatology residency at the University of Minnesota.

While studying in Rochester, Charles met his future wife Laurie. They married in 1994. Together, they had three cherished children, Olivia (23), Charles IV (19), and Arianna (16), who held their father in the highest regard. Charles instilled in his children a strong work ethic, a thirst for knowledge, a commitment to excellence, and a deep sense of compassion for others.

Dr. Crutchfield III was a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of the Crutchfield Dermatology clinic, which he founded in 2002 in Eagan, Minnesota. Throughout his 25-year career, he selflessly served his patients and advanced medical knowledge, with a particular focus on the well-being of individuals of color. As the first African-American dermatologist in Minnesota, Dr. Crutchfield III was a pioneer in his field. He cared for over 50,000 patients, authored hundreds of scientific papers (including a textbook), and had an impressive legacy of outstanding contributions to dermatology. Dr. Crutchfield III was consistently recognized as one of the nation’s leading skin care experts in local and national surveys involving physicians, nurses, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities. He received numerous local and national awards and recognitions, including being named among “America’s 10 Leading Dermatologists” by Black Enterprise magazine and “100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in Minnesota” by Minnesota Medicine. He also received the Karis humanitarian award from the Mayo Clinic. He held professional affiliations such as serving as President of the Minnesota Association of Black Physicians and being a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a national medical honor society.

As a senior medical advisor for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder newspaper, Dr. Crutchfield III and his esteemed colleagues authored numerous articles shedding light on vi- tal health topics of interest to the Black community. Additionally, he served as the Vice President of Minnesota’s Black Community Project, a nonprofit organization that celebrates the achievements and contributions of the African American community in Minnesota through mediums such as books, documentaries, and podcasts. Dr. Crutchfield III was dedicated to increasing the enrollment of students of color in medical schools to ensure future diversity in medical providers. He mentored many college students to help them gain admission to medical school.

Devoting a significant portion of his time to teaching, Dr. Crutchfield III held the positions of Clinical Professor of Dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Benedict Distinguished Visiting Professor of Biology at Carleton College. He was honored with the Outstanding Clinical Teaching Award, as voted upon by the University of Minnesota’s medical students, and received the 2023 Part-Time Teacher of the Year Award. Even while undergoing cancer treatment, he displayed unwavering commitment by continuing to teach his Cutaneous Biology course remotely from his hospital bed.

Since its establishment in

For Robert Wilkinson, who lives in Longfellow, it’s one of the few reasons why he came to the neighborhood surrounding the Kmart. “I get most of my mail at a P.O. box. I come here almost every day or every other day,” said Wilkinson in an interview at the post office inside the Kmart several months ago. “I won’t keep coming to this neighborhood that much unless I come to eat or shop or something.”

Although the post office is now out of the Kmart building, the city doesn’t plan to demolish it right away. “There is an eight-month process from a building being vacant to demolishing the building,” said city spokesperson Sarah McKenzie, adding they expect to tear down the Kmart building next March. The process includes testing the building for hazardous and regulated materials, submitting the project for public bid, city council approval of a contractor, and remediation of hazardous and regulated materials.

Once the Kmart building is demolished, the city anticipates it will take another year to reconnect the two segments of Nicollet Avenue. They plan to begin designing the layout of the street this summer, with the city council and mayor approving the layout at the end of the year, so that a redesigned Nicollet Avenue can reopen in 2026.

H. Jiahong Pan welcomes reader comments at hpan@spokesman-recorder.com.

2012, the Crutchfield Dermatology Foundation has been dedicated to promoting good health throughout Minnesota. Its activities encompass awarding scholarships to promising students, sponsoring educational presentations, developing online resources, and publishing books that foster health awareness. Among the foundation’s remarkable accomplishments is the creation of an innovative lectureship on ethnic skin at the University of Minnesota, which has played a pivotal role in educating medical residents and local dermatologists about the unique challenges associated with treating skin of color.

Renowned for his unyielding passion for sports, Dr. Crutchfield III served as the team dermatologist for the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, and Minnesota Vikings. He frequently attended Minnesota sporting events and was especially an avid baseball fan. Beyond his love for sports, Charles had many diverse interests. He was a talented artist, creating numerous contemporary, geometric pieces. Gardening was another passion, with Charles proudly earning a blue ribbon at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair for his hot peppers. Furthermore, he was an excellent cook and had a discerning palate for fine foods. However, among all his interests, what Charles treasured most was traveling and spending quality time with his beloved family. Charles was preceded in death by his grandparents, Carter Vernard and Mary Jackson Ellis, and Charles Bannie and Cessie Hollis Crutchfield; as well as his stepmother, Patricia Wilson Crutchfield. He is survived by his parents, Drs. Charles Sr. and Susan (Robert); his devoted wife Laurie; his cherished children Olivia, Charles IV, and Arianna; and his siblings Carleton (Linda), Christopher (Thu-Mai), Robert, Raushana, and Rashad. He also leaves behind a host of beloved nieces, nephews, other family members, and friends.

In honoring Charles’ memory, let us carry forward his legacy of compassion, dedication, scholarship, and excellence. His impact on the medical community, his family, and all those fortunate enough to have known him will forever be treasured.

A private funeral service will be held. A celebration of life memorial service is being planned for later this summer.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Crutchfield Dermatology Foundation [https:// www.crutchfielddermfoundation.org] would be greatly appreciated.