Oral History Archive

Monica Ghee
Coney Island native and longtime independent game operator on Jones Walk
Tara Altebrando
Author of Dreamland Social Club, a novel set in Coney Island, who got engaged on the Wonder Wheel
Alan Fine
Memories of Washington Baths Annex in the 1950s and meeting his wife there when they were children
Martin Abrams
Brooklynite who was a lifeguard in the 1950s and met his wife of 60 years on Coney Island Beach
Natalie Johnson
Memories of having a season locker at Ravenhall and Washington Baths Annex in the 1950s and '60s
Ita Bullard
Horace and Ita Bullard's attempt to transform Coney Island
Stanislav Baev
Coney Island resident and founder of the not-for-profit American Alliance for Protection of Animals
Jeffrey Berman
Longtime Sea Gate resident and watercolor artist who teaches at Seaside Innovative Senior Center
Carole Scheer
Her father, Anthony Cosmo Pomaro, owned Cosmo Topper's Beauty Parlor on Mermaid Avenue
Barbara Unterman Jones
Memories of being one of the first families to move into Gravesend Houses in 1954 and growing up there
Robert Levrini
Memories of growing up on West 5th Street and grandfather's shoe repair shop on Ocean Parkway
Frederick Brosen
Artist whose watercolors of the Astroland Rocket and Wonder Wheel sign are emblematic of Coney Island
Chris Cuomo
Memories of riding the Steeplechase Horses, Human Roulette Wheel and Parachute Jump 70 years ago
Gina Femia
Brooklyn-born playwright on her plays set in Coney Island and a marriage proposal on the beach
Linda Zhang
Coney Island homeowner for 19 years enjoys organic gardening and walking on the boardwalk
Stanley Fox
Retired Coney Island arcade operator recalls his family's 30-plus years in the business
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
Memories of growing up a block from the ocean and being head of Lincoln High School's Art Squad
Olga Lozar
A Sea Gate resident who is a Coney Island Polar Bear talks about the pleasures of winter swimming