Richard Termini's earliest memories are of playing under the El on New Utrecht Avenue in Bensonhurst, where his family operated Termini's Bakery. Founded by his grandfather Giuseppe 'Joe' Termini in Manhattan in the early years of the 20th century, the bakery soon moved to Brooklyn, where it prospered and fed the extended family until closing in 1985. Richard recounts memories of baking with his grandfather and of neighborhood residents lining up to cook their Thanksgiving turkeys in the store's brick oven. His parents Carmella Turturro and Richard Termini met in Coney Island in the 1940s at Ravenhall Baths, where he has fond memories of being taken as a child. As a six-year-old in 1962, he rode the Astroland Rocket, an experience that inspired a lifelong interest in designing and building high power rockets. Now living in Australia, Richard shares his impressions of the last time he visited Coney Island in August 2001.
We're thrilled that the Coney Island History Project's Oral History Archive is featured in The New York Times virtual things to do "At Home" section!
You can still enjoy Coney Island this season thanks to the Coney Island History Project. Listen to New Yorkers recount their experiences at the treasured amusement park and beach. And if you have your own beloved memory of Coney Island, you can submit it to the project’s archive.
When: Anytime
Where: coneyislandhistory.org/tags/oral-history-archive
Sign up to schedule a an interview via phone, Skype or Zoom here.
Today, June 7th, 2020, was to have been the Coney Island History Project and Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park's 9th Annual History Day celebration on the Boardwalk with performances by musicians and dancers paying tribute to Coney Island's immigrant heritage. Instead, we are living through history, with a worldwide pandemic, racial justice movement, and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Future historians will think about society as pre- and post-2020. In the meantime, please enjoy this video compilation of our 2019 History Day, with performances by Irina Roizin's Brighton Ballet Theater School of Russian Ballet, Haitian drummer Gaston "Bonga" Jean-Baptiste, Mariachi Real De Mexico de Ramon Ponce, Jenny Luna's songs in the Turkish and Rumeli traditions, and Julia Liu's New York Music and Dance Organization, with DJ Dan Kingman, Deno Vourderis, and Charles Denson.
Happy 100th Birthday, Deno's Wonder Wheel from the Coney Island History Project! Join Charles Denson in this video sing-a-long of a 1920's song celebrating the joys of the Wonder Wheel to the tune of The Sidewalks of NY. He discovered the song while researching Coney Island's Wonder Wheel Park and the lyrics are in the soon-to-be published book. We had planned to invite everyone to sing it at the now to be rescheduled Memorial Day Weekend Celebration.
Happy Mother's Day from the Coney Island History Project! Enjoy this photo collage of some of the mothers and grandmothers who visited our exhibition center in past seasons with their kids and grandkids.
During these days of social distancing, you're invited to share and preserve your Coney Island memories by recording an oral history via phone or Skype.
Our audio interviews are conducted in English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and other languages with people who live or work - past or present - in Coney Island and adjacent Southern Brooklyn neighborhoods or have a special connection to the place.
Sign up for an appointment or listen to some of the more than 375 interviews in our online archive.
Ruthie and Shorty, Astroland Park, 2006
Ruth Magwood, our friend who passed away last week, loved lighthouses. Her house across the street from Coney Island Creek Park was filled with lighthouse photos and books and statues. She loved Coney Island, having lived and worked there for 47 years. Ruthie worked the front office at Astroland Park until it closed in 2008. Her partner, Walter "Shorty" Arsenault, who passed away in 2011, was the long-time manager of Astroland's kiddie park. Her son Indio was a Coney Island sideshow performer before moving to Austria. Ruthie was a regular at Ruby's and Peggy O’Neal’s, a great storyteller with an ironic sense of humor. Her other sons and family members lived near her home in Coney Island's West End. During her years at Astroland, Ruthie photographed the park's events and created numerous photo albums that are now part of the Coney Island History Project Archive.
Ruthie always lived near the water and had roots in Gerritsen Beach. She lived all over Coney Island before buying a nice home by the park many years ago. Her health suffered terribly after Hurricane Sandy's storm surge destroyed her house. She rebuilt her home right after the storm but had to move out and rebuild a second time due to new zoning restrictions. The pitfalls of rebuilding and the abject failures of the Build It Back program caused her to lose her life savings.
The constant stress of dealing with endless beauracracy, red tape, and questionable contractors caused heart problems and her health failed. Yet Ruthie carried on as an advocate for the community. Last summer, when it was rumored that the city was planning to move a ferry dock to Kaiser Park rather than West 33rd Street, she spoke out at a protest at the Kaiser Park fishing pier. Poor health didn't stop her from protecting the park as Ruthie cared deeply about her Coney Island community. We will miss her. She was one of a kind. (Her son Adam will announce a memorial service to be held sometime in the future.)
— Charles Denson
(Since the demonstration last August, it's been found that the Kaiser Park location requires dredging that will release toxic materials into Coney Island Creek. See link.)
www.gothamgazette.com/opinion/9205-we-want-a-ferry-for-coney-island-but-...
Today we thank business owners and their employees who are staying open so that we can stay at home and stay safe. Among the Coney Island History Project's online archive of oral history interviews are a pharmacist, a restaurant chef, and a hardware store owner who are providing essential services to the Coney Island community during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Along with prescriptions, pharmacist Ho Cheung Li dispenses news and advice in English, Cantonese & Mandarin at J & R Pharmacy at 2302 Mermaid Avenue. "Serving the customer is the main point of being a pharmacist," said Li in his oral history, which we recorded in 2015.
One-hundred-year-old Wilensky Hardware at 2126 Mermaid Avenue is an anchor of the community and remains open Monday through Saturday. Listen to our newly recorded oral history with Steven Feinstein, the owner of Coney Island's oldest family-owned business. Wilensky's opened in 1920 as a paint store before branching out into specialty hardware. Pick up some paint and other supplies to work on home improvement projects during the stay at home order.
Among the Coney Island restaurants which remain open for take out and delivery are Footprints Cafe at 1521 Surf Avenue, which specializes in Caribbean cuisine. Listen to our 2015 interview with Chef Basil Jones, the originator of their famed Rasta Pasta. For their temporary hours, visit Footprints website.
Throwback Thursday photo of the Rocky Road to Dublin, circa 1909, from the Coney Island History Project Collection. This scenic railway coaster ride, with its dramatic crenelated towers, was located on the current site of Brightwater Towers on Surf Avenue Between West 5th and West 8th Streets, across from the Aquarium. To the left is the arched entrance the Ben Hur Race double-track coaster. To the right is Zellers Drug Store, which competed with Chambers Drug Store across the street. Both were famous for their soda fountains. The street scene shows three forms of transportation: horses, bicycles, and the early automobile.
Hyman Cleon supervised the construction of the Coney Island Boardwalk in 1922. Many thanks to his family for recently donating Cleon's personal photographs to the Coney Island History Project. This video highlights a selection of images from the collection. Subscribe to our Coneyologist channel and visit our Oral History Atchive and Collection pages for new online content created by the Coney Island History Project during these days of social distancing.