Detroit Post Office Renamed in Honor of Legendary Singer Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul will forever live on at a Detroit post office.
On Monday, the Fox Creek Station post office was officially renamed the “Aretha Franklin Post Office Building.” The event saw members of Franklin's family join postal and elected officials for the official name change ceremony.
The post office building is located close to the concert amphitheater on the Detroit River that also is named for Franklin, just about 5 miles from downtown Detroit. U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a Detroit-area Democrat pushed the bill she sponsored to rename the post office in Franklin's honor shortly after her death in 2018 at the age of 76.
"No matter where life took her, Aretha never forgot about her hometown of Detroit,” Lawrence told the Detroit Free Press. “Renaming this facility after her is a small gesture of gratitude for her countless contributions to Detroit and the United States.
The legislation to finalize the name change was signed by President Donald Trump in January.
“Her legacy lives on in her music, in her family,” said Rep. Lawrence who is a former postal employee and was a friend of Franklin. “But we have added to that list of her legacy: A post office with her name on it.”
Franklin began her career as a child, singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. Throughout her career Aretha Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries, and 20 number-one R&B singles.