More than 500 oral histories are available for listening in the Coney Island History Project’s multilingual online archive. Among the recent additions are the following interviews recorded by Charles Denson and Tricia Vita.

Fifty years ago this month, Mike Boodley set a world record for consecutive roller coaster rides by riding the Coney Island Cyclone 1,001 times over 45 hours. Now an award-winning roller coaster designer, Boodley shares memories of the ride, how it came about, and the people who cheered him on and rode with him. Other topics in the interview include the influence of Coney Island's Tornado on his coaster designs and memories of Astroland's flamboyant publicist Milton Berger.

Anthony D’Amico tells the secret inside story of how Coney Island’s $350 million dollar Stillwell Avenue Terminal came into being. D'Amico was the Chief Financial Officer in charge of funding billions of dollars in MTA mega-projects, including the the Second Avenue subway, Fulton Transit Center, and rebuilding the Cortland Street Station destroyed in 9/11. D'Amico also describes the highlights of his fascinating 37-year career in public transit.

Ninety-five-year-old Rita Kaminsky describes growing up in Coney Island during the 1930s and 1940s. Kaminsky was born at home in the family's apartment above her grandmother's store at 2717 Surf Avenue. In this interview she shares memories of life during the Great Depression and Coney Island during World War II.

Randy Profeta is the great grandson of Harry Wildman, who was Coney Island's premier sign painter from the 1890s until he died in 1930. Profeta shares family stories of his grandmother Beatrice, Harry's daughter, and her romance with his grandfather, Vito Onorato, who worked in Steeplechase Park. Researching his family history, Profeta learned that Harry Wildman did sign work for Feltmans, Nathan's, Steeplechase Park and Luna Park.

Please listen, share, and if you or someone you know would like to record a story remotely via phone or Zoom, sign up here. We record interviews in English, Russian, Chinese, and other languages with people who have lived or worked in Coney Island and adjacent neighborhoods or have a special connection to these places.

Happy National Hot Dog Day! In this early photo of Nathan's you can see the original logo created for the store by Coney Island sign painter Harry Wildman (1875-1930). His credit "Wildman Co." is beneath the logo and we've circled it in red. In Lloyd Handwerker's book about his grandfather, Famous Nathan, he celebrates Wildman's artistry: "He designed the green Nathan's logo, complete with elaborate curlicues and serifs. Wildman's iconic work has survived with few modifications to this day. As he had done with numerous signs and ad around Coney, he painted the broadly stylized lettering on oilcloth. Finally the store had a name."

Newly published in our oral history archive is an interview with Harry Wildman's great grandson Randy Profeta recorded for us by Tricia Vita. Researching his family history, Profeta learned that Wildman did sign work for Feltmans, Nathan's, Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, and numerous other businesses. Family lore credits Harry with the creation of the Steeplechase Face, the park's grinning logo. "A lot of what we have is, in essence, anecdotal," says Profeta. "I mean it's information that has passed from generation to generation." Additional sources include newspaper clippings and Michael Onorato's 1992 interview with his grandmother. Beatrice Wildman Onorato. You can listen to the oral history interview in the online archive on our website.

In an oral history newly published by the Coney Island History Project, Anthony D’Amico tells the secret inside story of how Coney Island’s $350 million dollar Stillwell Avenue Terminal came into being. D'Amico was the Chief Financial Officer in charge of funding billions of dollars in MTA mega-projects, including the the Second Avenue subway, Fulton Transit Center, and rebuilding the Cortland Street Station destroyed in 9/11. D'Amico also describes the highlights of his fascinating 37-year career in public transit. In part 2 of the interview, D'Amico reveals the complexities encountered when rebuilding the Cortlandt Street Station at the World Trade Center after it was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks. You can listen to the oral history interview recorded by Charles Denson in the online archive on our website.

Next Thursday, June 12, at 11 AM, the New York City Council's Land Use Committee will hold a hearing about the Coney casino developer's proposal to de-map public streets and acquire air rights to build sky bridges and a hotel twice the height allowed by existing zoning. “I am asking the New York City Council Land Use Committee to reject the de-mapping of streets for the Coney casino project," says Charles Denson, Executive Director, Coney Island History Project. "The project’s Environmental Impact Statement reveals an out of scale monstrosity that will choke off and smother all surrounding business and destroy the fabric of the surrounding community.” Scroll down this page to read the rest of Charles Denson's comments.

If you don't want Coney Island to be replaced by casino, we urge you to testify at the June 12th hearing or submit written comments. To testify via Zoom or phone you must register at https://council.nyc.gov/land-use/ and click on “The Coney Development” link. You don’t need to register to testify in person, just show up at the hearing. The location is Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, 250 Broadway, 16th Floor Committee Room, New York, NY 10007. You may submit written testimony to landusetestimony@council.nyc.gov up to 72 hours following the completion of the public hearing. You can view the timeline of upcoming hearings, reviews and votes on the de-mapping proposal in progress on City Planning's Zoning Application Portal at https://zap.planning.nyc.gov/projects/2024K0230.

Council Member Justin Brannan’s vote is extremely important because it’s customary for NYC Council members to vote with the local council member. Justin Brannan is term limited and currently running for citywide office as NYC Comptroller. Write or phone Justin Brannan, Councilman for the 47th District (Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Sea Gate and parts of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Gravesend). 718 748-5200. AskJB@council.nyc.gov. Mail: District Office, 8203 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11209.

In 2023 and 2024, the developer paid registered lobbyists over $400,000 to lobby elected and appointed officials and their staffs, including Council Member Justin Brannan, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Planning Commissioners, Office of the Mayor, Deputy Mayors, and Economic Development Corporation. (TSG Coney Island Entertainment Holdco LLC via lobbyistsearch.nyc.gov.)

Let your voices be heard by signing and sharing the petitions against the Coney Island casino organized by our friends and neighbors Coney Island USA and Luna Park. Over 9,000 people have signed Coney Island USA's petition since December, with dozens more signing every time it is shared via social media. Luna Park started their petition on June 4 with a plea to "Save Iconic Coney Island's Historic Amusement District."

After the full vote in the NYC Council, the Mayor has five days to review the City Council’s decision and issue a veto. Applicants must complete this local land-use/zoning process in order to be eligible for consideration by the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, which is overseeing the commercial casino siting process in the Metro New York region. Casino applications will be due June 27, 2025.  For each proposed gaming site, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be formed, consisting of six representatives appointed by elected officials. The process to award the casino license is expected to come by the end of this year.

Statement by Charles Denson, Executive Director of the Coney Island History Project

I am asking the New York City Council Land Use Committee to reject the de-mapping of streets for the Coney casino project.

The project’s Environmental Impact Statement reveals an out of scale monstrosity that will choke off and smother all surrounding business and destroy the fabric of the surrounding community.

De-mapping of public streets is not needed. The developers are asking for the streets to be de-mapped so that they can buy air rights to build sky bridges connecting all the Thor Equities properties. The purpose of a sky bridge is to make sure that no one leaves the casino once they enter it. They want to cut people off from all surrounding streets and attractions and keep them inside gambling until their money runs out. The casino has a business plan based on gambling addiction.

The developers are asking to transform Stillwell Avenue into a pedestrian mall that will funnel people into the casino. Transforming Stillwell Avenue will severely limit emergency access to the beach, Boardwalk, and amusements for nearly a quarter-mile stretch of the world’s most crowded beachfront.

The developers also want to transform West 12th Street into a four lane driveway for the casino. The project’s environmental impact statement confirms that this will create a choke point and traffic nightmare at this intersection and all along Surf Avenue. According to the EIS, there is no way to remediate the severe problems associated with the casino project. De-mapping of streets will disrupt historic family-oriented businesses of Coney Island. The owners of Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, Coney Island’s largest businesses, are opposed to the casino. The Community Board has voted against the casino. This land grab benefits no one but greedy developers.

The proposed casino is a dead whale on the shores of Coney Island. Please vote no on the casino and de-mapping Coney Island’s streets