Oral History Archive

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

Yi Xin Tong

Living in Gravesend, artist from China's Mount Lushan 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