Alan Nisselson

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Alan Nisselson

Alan Nisselson was born in 1947 and raised in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. While the family was living above a delicatessen in Coney Island, they opened a custard stand near Steeplechase Park and put Nisselson to work when he was a young boy. Later in his youth, the family moved north to a Kings Highway address. Work at the custard stand ended in 1965 and young Nisselson went on to work for the City Parks Department in Brooklyn for a few summers. He attained an undergraduate degree from American University in 1968 and a doctoral degree from Brooklyn Law in 1976. With a master's degree in business administration from New York University as well, he became an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. He also worked with creditors' rights firms. As of 2017, Nisselson resided in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, was a partner at Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, and served as a trustee in U.S. Bankruptcy Courts and elaborate Chapter 11 cases. He is on the Board of Trustees at Brooklyn Historical Society.

In this interview, Alan Nisselson speaks in detail about the origins of his family's seaside custard stand business in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. He recalls the stand's offerings, the layout, and the operation. Nisselson also remembers the surroundings of his home, school, and work life within Coney Island. He recollects his swimming routine at Steeplechase Park and enjoying and mastering many of the attractions at that amusement park. He adds details about the sideshow performers, the family that lived on the Thunderbolt roller coaster property, the parachute jump, and custard stand competitors. He then shares some of what his parents told him about older venues; such as Luna Park, Feltman's and the bathhouses. Some less pleasant memories for Nisselson were the demands of summer work when friends were vacationing, segregation of private swimming pools, his mother's workplace accident, and the prevalence of rats. In closing, he reflects on his unique childhood and observes the changes to Surf Avenue and the seaside in 2009. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Sports and leisure series features a dynamic range of narrators. Some are known public figures and others are well-known in their field, all having proactively contributed to the athletic pursuits or relaxing diversions of the borough. This ongoing series focuses on Brooklyn history and the experiences of these narrators, as well as documents local, national and international cultural events. The oldest narrator in this series was born in 1931.

Citation

Nisselson, Alan, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, March 26, 2009, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Sports and leisure, 2008.031.6.004; Brooklyn Historical Society.