What do you do when you really really love the neighborhood you live in? Write four books on it, of course.

That’s exactly what Port Richmond resident Fred Cimino, a former high school English teacher, has been doing since 1995. He will be the first to tell you what a neighborhood enthusiast he is.

Cimino lived in Port Richmond for most of his life. His family has lived there for the past 100 years and he is passionate about the history and culture of his birthplace.

Though Cimino now calls New Jersey his home, he is still a devout supporter of his old community. He has written four books to date on the neighborhood and even gives lectures to groups of fascinated Port Richmond scholars.

A business along Allegheny Avenue in Port Richmond

The lecture, which attendees have nicknamed the “Port Richmond Chat,” is held at the Richmond Library, the neighborhood’s public library. It is essentially an organized conversation on the history of culture in the neighborhood, a history that is long and significant

Port Richmond is a neighborhood of approximately 25,000 people. It has been branded “the neighborhood of churches” and is known for its clean, well-kept houses.

Port Richmond is no longer what is used to be, but, according to nostalgic

residents like Cimino, it is still a special neighborhood in Philadelphia, a neighborhood with a rich and valuable history.

Cimino could talk for hours about Port Richmond, a quiet, tight-knit community, which is located next to Kensington and Fishtown. Though business used to be abundant, a simple walk or drive through the neighborhood will prove just how much things have settled down since its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s.

Stores and businesses that were once thriving are now boarded up.

Allegheny Avenue, a major street in the neighborhood that was once the center of shopping, business, and social life is now a semi-abandoned strip of deserted buildings and homes. Though an ice cream parlor stil lexists on
the corner of one block, and a carpet store is still situated in the middle of another, it is quite obvious that the neighborhood has long passed its peak.

Colorful old-fashioned storefront signs are remnants of days gone by, while elders, often found lounging in beach chairs along Allegheny Avenue will be quick to share fond memories of their experiences growing up in the neighborhood.

Most long-time residents of the neighborhood have a sentimental attachment to Port Richmond, one they are proud to acknowledge and discuss. Fred Cimino is one of these people.

In 1995, he began his journey of researching and writing multiple informative books on Port Richmond. One of the books is entitled "White Marble Steps…Memories of Port Richmond".

A famous pizza shop that brings many Philly residents to Port Richmond

According to Cimino, the book, which took two years to complete, was named after the white marble steps that residents often sat on outside their homes. Here they would socialize at night until the wee hours of the morning.

In the fourth volume of the book, Cimino says White Marble “symbolizes and epitomizes the lasting effect a neighborhood like Port Richmond has on the people who lived there, loved there, and died there.”

During the golden days of Port Richmond, and before there was TV, Internet and air-conditioning, people would sit outside as a means of interacting with neighbors and creating bonds.

"White Marble Steps", the first volume of which has sold over 2,000 copies, contains a multitude of facts on the neighborhood.

Cimino researched everything from his Polish and Italian family history to a list of notable figures who have emerged from Port Richmond. The book contains descriptions of noteworthy places in Port Richmond, such as Kitty’s Luncheonette, as well as short essays on Cimino’s personal memories of the neighborhood. One essay is a humorous account of the many nicknames given to his friends and acquaintances in the neighborhood. Doco, Hano, Korpo, and JoJo are four such monikers.

Other fun facts in the book include a list of the 16 neighborhoods within Port Richmond as well as a list of famous people from the community.

In reaction to his books, Cimino has received an enormous amount of response from residents, young and old, who have their own memories to share about Port Richmond.

Historic rowhomes along the streets of Port Richmond

Cimino is proud of his books and of the purpose they serve within the community. “When people come out with books like this”, says Cimino, “There’s a sense of neighborhood pride that comes out.”

Currently, Cimino is writing a mystery novel set in Port Richmond, which he hopes to release in the near future. He has also written several other short stories on the neighborhood.
"White Marble Steps" can be purchased at bookstores in the surrounding areas of Port Richmond. For more information on Port Richmond, visit InPortRichmond.com