Oral History Archive

Filtering by 1930 - 1939 back to all
Rachel Rosenberg Simon
Rachel Simon recalls her family's Deli Restaurant on Mermaid Avenue
Frieda Schwelke
Memories of growing up in Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s and moving to Luna Park Houses in 1962
Esther Delgado
Growing up in Gravesend and going to Coney Island in the 1940s and living there today
Sam Person
Family memories of Nat Faber's Fascination arcade and amusement business empire
Janet Rubino
One of Dr. Couney's incubator babies
Joyce Chopra
Groundbreaking filmmaker grew up in Sea Gate and on Mermaid Avenue
George Ancona
The art of growing up Mexican American in Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s
Edith Storch
Memories of growing up on West 36th Street in Coney Island's West End in the 1930s
Van Milana
Grandson of sword swallower Joseph "Ajax" Milana and DeWise Purdin "The Handless Sharpshooter"
Deena Metzger
Writer, poet and healer who grew up in a Yiddish literary family in Sea Gate during World War II
Jay Green (Gerald Greenberg)
Three-time International Jugglers Association champion and resident of Southern Brooklyn
Charles Berkman
Memories of growing up in Coney Island during the Great Depression and 55 years practicing law
Joel Zika
The founder of the Dark Ride Project on documenting Spook-A-Rama and other historic dark rides
George Rudes
Clothing company CEO George Rudes grew up in the shadow of the Half Moon Hotel
Charles Robert Feltman
Great-grandson of Feltmans Restaurant founder and hot dog inventor Charles Feltman
Antoinette Balzano
Granddaughter of Anthony "Totonno" Pero tells the story of how he founded Totonno's Pizzeria in 1924
Commendatore Aldo Mancusi
Memories of Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s and growing up in Brooklyn in an Italian family
Louise Milano
Louise Milano's mother, Carolina, operated Carolina Restaurant on Mermaid Avenue for 60 years