Oral History Archive

Gregory Bitetzakis

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

Linda Kramer Evans

Girlhood memories of visiting Great-Aunt Molly who lived in the house under the roller coaster

Harold J. Kramer

Boyhood memories of visiting relatives at the house under the Thunderbolt roller coaster

Grace Lo

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

Richard White

Marine science teacher at Edward R. Murrow High School recalls his Coney Island memories

Charles Robert Feltman

Great-grandson of Feltmans Restaurant founder and hot dog inventor Charles Feltman

Steve Larkin

Memories of working at a Coney Island beach chair and umbrella rental company as a teen in the 1970s

Johanna Gargiulo Sherman

Artist and Coney Island resident recalls growing up on Mermaid Avenue above Carolina Restaurant

Kite Flyers at Coney Island Kite Festival

Kite flyers Billy Echeverria, Nicholas Rowe, Kurtis Jones and Charles Stewart at Coney Island's Kite Festival

Lawrence Mach

Chef and owner of the Vendy Award winning Coney Shack food cart

Julio Sauce

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

Shirley Aikens

Community activist and president of the Carey Gardens Tenants Association

Antoinette Balzano

Granddaughter of Anthony "Totonno" Pero tells the story of how he founded Totonno's Pizzeria in 1924

Gene Ritter

Founder of Cultural Research Divers shares his knowledge of oceans, estuaries, and Coney Island Creek

Alfie Davis

Longtime Coney Island resident tells the story of three generations of her family

Derrick Batts

Coney Island resident and proprietor of Coney Island Hook and Bait Shop

Florian Freitag

Visiting scholar whose research interests include theme park studies

Candi Rafael

Coney Island carny kid and water race game operator on the Bowery