Oral History Archive

Filtering by English back to all

George Ancona

The art of growing up Mexican American in Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s

Alito Hernandez

From breakdancing on the streets of Coney Island with Fresh Kids to Peter Gennaro's Street Dreams

Silvana, Adrianne and Silverio Conte

Silvana, Adrianne and Silverio Conte, owners of 51-year-old SAS Italian Records in Bensonhurst

Yi Xin Tong (in English)

Living in Gravesend, artist from China's Mount Lu feels closest to home at Coney Island Creek

Arthur Nintzel

Boyhood memories of Ocean Tide Baths and the B&B Carousell's Lincoln horse

Sam Shlivko

Growing up in the Russian community in Coney Island and Brighton Beach

Carmela

Growing up on West 16th Street between Mermaid and Neptune in a cold water flat in the 1940s and '50s

Mindy Gress

Memories of growing up on Coney Island's first block and working in the Cyclone photobooth's darkroom

Lisa Marie Pompilio

Horses, hot type, tattoos, sideshows, and graphic design

Ron Vernon

Lifelong stickball player and Coney Island lifeguard for 48 years

Abby Jordan

Growing up Latina in Brighton Beach with a special connection to nature and the ocean

Kai Fung

Homeowner in Coney Island's West End for almost 30 years and first member of his family to settle here

Bill Zeidenberg

Memories of growing up on Brighton First Court and a summer job renting beach chairs in Coney Island

Lou Nasti

Mechanical display creator who redid the tricks for Astroland's Dante's Inferno dark ride in the 1990s

Hawley Hussey

Sea Gate artist, writer, educator and year-round swimmer

Steeplechase Pier Fishermen

Harry Delgado, "Stretch," and Larye Mcsheppard share fishing stories

Edith Storch

Memories of growing up on West 36th Street in Coney Island's West End

Billy Blitzer

Longtime baseball scout for the Chicago Cubs and Sea Gate resident