Charles Denson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Denson is an American historian, writer, photographer, and art director.[1] He is co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Coney Island History Project.[2][3] Denson also manages a YouTube channel, blog, and podcast related to the history of Coney Island.
Early life
Denson grew up in Coney Island, living on Surf Avenue and attending local schools. He showed a deep interest in the neighborhood from a young age; in an interview with the Brooklyn Daily Eagle he said, "My dream as a kid was to write a book about Coney Island."[2]
During Denson's youth in the 1960s, Coney Island was experiencing a period of transformation. A government urban renewal program that called for the demolition of 60 blocks of homes and businesses had left the neighborhood in a state of ruin. Denson began to photograph the neighborhood and its local residents during this time as a teenager. These photographs would later make up the photo exhibit "Coney Island Streets: 1965–1975" at the Coney Island History Project. None of the structures shown in the photographs still stand today.[3][4]
Career
In 1971, Denson began his career as a photographer for New York magazine. Since then, he has worked as an art director for numerous publications. In 1999 he was awarded a Chronicle journalism fellowship at the Graduate School of Journalism at University of California, Berkeley.[5]
In 2004, Denson founded the nonprofit organization Coney Island History Project with Carol Albert.[2] The organization's first project was collecting oral histories of Coney Island. A booth was set up on the Coney Island boardwalk where people could record their personal accounts and experiences. Denson is currently executive director of the Coney Island History Project.[3]
He has lectured on the history of Coney Island at institutions such as the New-York Historical Society, Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn College, and the American Folk Art Museum, among others.[1][2]
He has authored multiple books on the history of Coney Island. His book Coney Island: Lost and Found won the New York Society Library's 2002 Book of the Year award.[6][1]
In 2013, the New York State Marine Education Association presented Denson with the Herman Melville Award for his environmental advocacy.[7][8]
Published works
- Coney Island Walking Tour: Map & Guide (1998) ISBN 9780966698206
- Coney Island: Lost and Found (2002) ISBN 9781580084550
- Wild Ride!: A Coney Island Roller Coaster Family (2007) ISBN 9780966698213
- Coney Island and Astroland (2011) ISBN 9780738574288
- Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland 1861–2008 (2015) (in collaboration with other authors) ISBN 9780300189902
- The Curious Coney Island Artwork of Casola & Millard (2018) OCLC 1057797686
- Coney Island's Wonder Wheel Park (2020) ISBN 9781439669976
- Salvation by the Sea: Immigrants, Coney Island, and the Fresh Air Cure (2023) OCLC 1458668728