From Churches to Delis, Prayers to Pierogis, Port Richmond is the Polish Community’s Home in the city of Philadelphia. For years the little neighborhood on the banks of the Delaware River have served as a hub for incoming Polish immigrants as a place where their culture could continue on. Churches, Polish stores, Polish Schools and other Polish businesses thrived in this corner of the city for ages, but the tide has been changing.
A street view down Alleghany Avenue which is the maint street in Port Richmond.
Theresa Romanowska, a Port Richmond native in her eighties, who works at the Polish American Cultural center says that even as the neighborhood has changed, they still see the community even those who have since moved.
“I see a lot of the cars, and here they go to the mass, and then you go shopping, Polka Deli, even they do their banking. They come back to do their banking. They come back to the travel agencies when they need to do some traveling. They do come back if they don’t live in the area and those living nearby as well do shop there”
The neighborhood flourished in the early 19th century when Polish Immigrants tired of being partitioned under Russia,Prussia and Austria settled in the area. The area was largely Polish with small pockets of German, Irish and Italian immigrants. The neighborhood had its own newspaper, local radio and walking down the streets you think you’d be in Warsaw, hearing only Polish.
Since the late 2010s the neighborhood that housed the majority Polish population in Philadelphia has seen a significant decline. This in turn has caused businesses and Polish organizations to suffer economic losses and cease operations.
Icons of Port Richmond such as Krakus Market which had been open since the 80s shuttered its doors in 2018 and just across the street the Syrenka Milka Bar, a tiny restaurant serving cheap Polish food in a soviet style manner closed in late 2019 having been open since the 1970s. The owner Krystyna Florczak closed the eatery having decided to move back to Poland to retire.
Former Location of the now closed Krakus Market.
Two Icons of the neighborhood which could be found on the Mainstreet of Port Richmond have now become a hairdresser while the other remains a closed former shell of itself.
Down the street on Alleghany Avenue amid the renovated and gentrified streets where the green trolley runs across its steel infused track more signs of the demising Polish community can be seen.
Stores like Polska Ksiegarnia, which sold polish books and movies closed well over 7 years ago has been replace with the Batlic Bakery which serves Polish Paczki, bread and other delicate treats.Having moved their location there, after financial constraints due to the pandemic. It’s a family run business that bakes fresh bread daily on a limited supply and in a few years plans to shutter its doors as the owners age and look towards retirement and the possible re-patriation to Poland.
Marek S. who has lived in Port Richmond for most of his life and works at Polka Deli, says there are fewer mass attendees.
“It’s heartbreaking to see how reduced the significance of the church has on our community now when I was younger, entire streets would pile into the pews at church and now its almost empty.”
Churches are strewn left and right, with their spires the tallest point in Port Richmond have also suffered greatly. At one point there were over 30 parishes to attend for the Polish community now only one remains. St. Aldabert Church on Alleghany Avenue is the last church open for worship in Polish and in English since 2019 after the archdiocese released an unofficial letter to the parishioners of Port Richmond stating that all the Churches of Port Richmond (Nativity BVM, Mother of Divine Grace, Our Lady Help of Christians, St. Anne’s, and St. George) will effectively close in favor of the Polish Aposolate. The “Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee” found the debts of all Parishes to be “increased, with mass attendance in decline”. This was caused due to mainly an aging population dying off and a low interest in church attendance among the youth of the polish community.
Polka Deli, one of many of three Polish Delis in Port Richmond.
However, it isn’t all bleak and there are still traces of a community that once was. Polish Stores like Polemat, Polka Deli and the Polish Delicatessen remain open for customers to shop and buy Polish Products for their home.
“With the church losing importance in peoples lives here, going to the deli has become the main pillar o the community.” says Marek S.
A customer shops at Polka Deli looking at the variety of Polish made products.
The Polish School, simply titled, POLSKA SZKOLA, has kept its doors open amid covid-19 which took them online. The school was originally located on Allegheny Avenue at Our Lady of Christian Help School but had to move locations due to budget cuts and low enrollment numbers and potential safety hazards due to the low maintenance of the school. It shared a school space with St George School on Saturdays till 2021 when a merger of multiple classes due to the low enrollment, was moved to 2657 E Allegheny Ave which stands on St.Adalbert’s Church property further consolidating the Polish community and its cultural and linguistic organizations into a smaller and smaller area.
Micheal Blichasz, the director of the Polish American Center, says that they work in tandem with the church and school to celebrate Polish Holidays and Traditions.
“They work together in Port Richmond with the Polish Community, they get involved in the Pulaski Day Parade, which we were at this past Sunday, they showed the entire parade on 6abc, that is
coordinated out of here. Theresa’s involved in that also, and the committee gets together with every
part of the city and the region to have the parade.”
When working with the school, Blichasz says he is often shocked at the children there who speak Polish.
“But what’s amazing the children are being taught Polish. They’re being raised speaking Polish
at home, and that’s important because they’re keeping up their Polish heritage. Matter of fact, one of
our priests mentioned he was amazed that there were Polish children who spoke English and Polish
fluently, and they didn’t even have an accent.”
Other Businesses like Krews Kielbasa and Mom-Moms Kitchen have tried to broaden their horizons to keep the Polish spirit alive by making themselves attractive to non-natives but rather tourists who will partake in the so-called ethnic cuisine.
While the Polish community is still intact the community isn’t whole as it deals with an ever changing demographic and a loss in population as the older Polonia dies and the younger ones leave the blue collar neighborhood for better opportunities elsewhere.
Philadelphia itself has incurred a population loss since 2010 having decreased over 100 thousand residents. within those margins there lies the Polish population which either has moved to the suburbs or re-patriated back to Poland.
“We love that the Polish Communities in Port Richmond still pass down their traditions and language all these generations later even as the community changes and new cultures and new people come in.” says Blichasz.
In short, Port Richmond has gone through numerous changes and only time can tell what’s next in store for the Poles of this Philadelphia Neighborhood.
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