Oral History Archive

Filtering by English back to all

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

Xin Song

Artist who used traditional Chinese paper cutting to create public art in Bay Parkway subway station

Allen James

Coney Islander, musician/songwriter in alt-rock band Newborn, lifeguard

Crystal Isley

Memories of growing up in Coney Island Houses in the 1980s and '90s

Robert Whitney

Memories of a gorilla show, a bungalow colony, and an underground city beside the beach

Yanglun Hsiao

A filmmaker and film editor from Taiwan living in Brighton Beach

Stanley Fox, Part 2

Retired arcade operator's memories of when Coney Island's amusements were open in the wintertime

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

Owners of Bensonhurst's SAS Italian Records, founded in the 1960s

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