Son of Steeplechase Park's general manager, James Onorato
Michael Onorato is the son of James Onorato, who was the general manager of Steeplechase Park from 1928 to 1964 when it closed. Michael remembers the park in vivid detail and describes growing up there. He gives a start-to-finish account of going...
Content type: Oral History Item
Artist and photographer
Lily Binder has photographed Coney Island extensively since her first visit in the 1970s. She claims that "The Cyclone is the most physically and mentally cleansing minute of your life because you can't think. It's pure adrenaline......
Content type: Oral History Item
Mr. Cyclone hopeful
Robby Corrado is a 2010 Mr. Cyclone contestant. His father brought him to Coney Island to celebrate his seventh birthday and inadvertently sparked a love for the Cyclone that has grown over the years. Robby talks about the inspiration for his...
Content type: Oral History Item
Model Maker and Music Producer
Roy grew up in Coney Island and, among many other ventures, makes exquisitely detailed scale models of rides like the Himalaya, at which he also worked when he was a child. He tried to get a job at Astroland when he was too young but, eventually,...
Content type: Oral History Item
Came from Puerto Rico to show Coney to her family
Rosa is 58 years old and has lived in Puerto Rico for 33 years. As a child, she lived in Manhattan and would visit her aunt in Coney Island. She observes how Coney Island has changed, mostly how small it is by comparison to back then, and has...
Content type: Oral History Item
A painter with a Coney Island legacy
Marie Roberts hails from an illustrious Coney Island family. Her grandfather was the Acting Battalion Chief of the Coney Island district and fought some of the most notable fires in Brooklyn history including the Dreamland fire of 1911 that burned...
Content type: Oral History Item
Lincoln HS graduate and former West End resident in the 1940's and 50's
Leibowitz grew up in the West End on West 30th Street between Surf and Railroad Avenues in the 1940's and 50's. In this interview he recalls his many jobs in the amusement area, cruising the neighborhood with Bowery Boy Huntz Hall and...
Content type: Oral History Item
Organist and grandson of B&B Carousell organ doctor
Ed Radonic is a professional musician who plays the organ at Our Lady of Grace in Gravesend, just blocks from Coney Island. His grandfather, Dominick Brugnolotti installed and maintained the mechanical organ at the B&B Carousell for decades. Ed...
Content type: Oral History Item
Amateur fisherman
Peter has lived in Coney Island for 25 years and is an amateur fisherman. He describes the kind of various kinds of fish he has caught and recalls once seeing seals washed up on the rocks. Generally, he is discouraged about the state of Coney...
Content type: Oral History Item
Nathan's son recounts his memories of growing up in the family business
As the son of the founder of Nathan's Famous, Sol Handwerker recounts some of the history of this iconic Coney Island fixture.
Sol Handwerker passed away on September 24, 2016 at the age of 90.
Content type: Oral History Item