Oral History Archive

Ronald Kannatt (The Prince of Coney Island)
Twenty years at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park's Karaoke on the Boardwalk
Diana Wiener
Growing up in Sea Gate and Coney Island in the 1940s and '50s and moving back in the mid-1960s
Angela Kravtchenko
Architect who is a Coney Island resident and a community activist
JR Lopez
Memories of growing up on West 35th Street in Coney Island in the 1990s
Sofya Lobova
A longtime resident of Haber Houses and leader of the Russian-speaking community
Stuart Waldman
Memories of growing up in Coney Island in the 1940s and '50s and fun summer jobs
Sonia Solano
Reflections on raising a family and working in Coney Island in the 1990s and 2000s
Karen Wilcox
Memories of living in Luna Park Houses and going to Coney Island bathhouses in the 1960s
Liz Unger
Memories of Coney Island in the 1950s and a family's candy factory on Mermaid Avenue
Erum Hanif
Community Board 13 member and CEO of Apna Brooklyn Community Center
Samantha Robles (Cake)
Tattoo artist who grew up in Coney Island's West End
Alicia Angello
Teen memories of Coney Island's Polar Express and Breakdance in the 2000s
Ansen Tang
Director of United Chinese Association of Brooklyn in Bensonhurt, Dyker Heights, and Sheepshead Bay
Jerry Omanoff
Memories of living in Coney Island from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s
Carol Polcovar
Writer and playwright who grew up in Coney Island from 1943 to 1956
Jerry Farley (The Jerry Farley)
Record producer and audio engineer who produces live shows at Coney Island Brewery
John Philip Capello
Mystery artist who carved faces into rocks on the shoreline at Brighton Beach
Rachel Rosenberg Simon
Rachel Simon recalls her family's Deli Restaurant on Mermaid Avenue