Coney Island History Project

The Coney Island History Project, founded in 2004, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that aims to increase awareness of Coney Island's legendary and colorful past and to encourage appreciation of the Coney Island neighborhood of today. Our mission is to record, archive and share oral history interviews; provide access to historical artifacts and documentary material through educational exhibits, events and a website; and honor community leaders and amusement pioneers through our Coney Island Hall of Fame. Emphasizing community involvement, the History Project teaches young people about local history and develops programs in conjunction with local schools, museums, senior centers, and other organizations.

Since the Coney Island History Project's inception in 2004 with a portable recording booth on the Boardwalk, followed by the opening of the Coney Island Hall of Fame in 2005 and the inaugural season of our exhibition center in 2007, we have proudly offered "Free Admission for One and All!" at our exhibits and events. Our exhibition center and recording studio is located on West 12th Street at the entrance to Deno's Wonder Wheel Park. The center is open free of charge from 1:00PM-7:00PM on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.

 The Coney Island History Project records oral history interviews year round with people who grew up, live or work in Coney Island and adjacent neighborhoods in Southern Brooklyn, or have a special connection to these places. More than 425 audio interviews recorded in English as well as Chinese, Russian and other languages are available for listening online as part of our multilingual oral history archive. In 2021, we launched Coney Island Stories, a podcast produced from oral histories in our archive. Our website also includes a searchable database of more than 1,000 items from our collection, and the blog "Ask Mr. Coney Island," where site visitors can ask questions about the area's past, present and future.