Oral History Archive

Filtering by emigration and immigration back to all

Gregory Bitetzakis

Co-owner and operator of Gregory & Paul's for more than 50 years

Grace Lo

Homeowner and community activist in Coney Island's West End for almost 30 years

Julio Sauce

Ecuadorian-born Gravesend resident is among NYC's fastest long-distance runners in his age category

Irina Roizin

Founder and director of Brighton Ballet Theater, founded in 1987

Zinovy Pritsker

Musician and founder of a jazz big band recounts his journey from Leningrad to Southern Brooklyn

Viktor Vassiliev

New York Bread co-owner talks about baking 30 different kinds of Russian bread in Coney Island

Jorge Gallegos

Working year-round at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park for 30 years

Dalia Vazquez and Raymundo Bardomiano

Dalia Vazquez and Raymundo Bardomiano own Tacos Doña Zita on Coney Island's Bowery

Aisuluu Sartbaeva

Journalist and PTA President of I.S. 303 moved to Coney Island from Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia

Gabriel Valencia

Twenty years as part of the family at Gregory & Paul's and Paul's Daughter on the Coney Island Boardwalk

Marina Rubin

Ukrainian emigre writer and author of Stealing Cherries, a collection of flash fiction

Misha Mokretsov

Founder and head coach at New York Fencing Academy in Coney Island

Abiodun Bello

A Coney Island Polar Bear talks about the health benefits and natural high of winter swimming

Basil Jones

Jamaican-born chef at Footprints Caribbean Cafe in Coney Island and originator of Rasta Pasta

Slava Polishchuk

Russian-born artist preserves the past as book and paper conservator at Brooklyn College Library

Hector George Wallace

An immigrant sign painter recounts his journey from Jamaica and the UK to Coney Island.

Terry Zheng

5D Cinema entrepreneur on Coney Island's Bowery

Boris Kotlyar

Mermaid Spa founder talks about bringing the Russian banya tradition to Coney Island