A Quest Supreme: Saving the Home of John Coltrane

On the surface, the old house at 247 Candlewood Path in Dix Hills looks like any other rundown piece of property. Inside it's much of the same, but it's what was heard inside its walls decades ago that makes this house special, and historic.

This was the home of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. It was here, in an upstairs bedroom, where he composed "A Love Supreme", considered one of the greatest jazz records of all time. He bought the house in 1964, and lived there until his death three years later at the age of 40. His wife Alice, a jazz pianist, continued to live there with the couple's four children, before moving to California in 1971.

Since that time, the home has passed through several owners, before being sold in 2003 to a developer who planned to demolish it to make room for three new homes. Local resident and Coltrane fan Steve Fulgoni contacted Town of Huntington officials, who purchased the property on behalf of the Friends of the Coltrane Home  (FCH) group.

A sign was posted out front to mark the significance of the home, which has been slowly restored through the years. Now, more funds are needed, as it's time to educate others on the life of John Coltrane, and cultivate the next generation of music lovers.

"We've been in this period of restoration, today is the day we move on to transformation, to finally realizing and extending the great potential of [my parents] work, their message, their meaning, their purpose in life," said Ravi Coltrane, the second son of John and Alice Coltrane.

Ravi was at the home of his youth on Wednesday, joined by representatives of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The non-profit organization has named the Coltrane home one of this year's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. They have donated a $5000 grant toward restoring the home, to go along with a $38,810 grant from the NY State Historic Preservation Office.

"Now it's [about] the job of coming up with a vision and a plan and raising the money for its restoration so it can be opened and used for some new purpose," said National Trust regional director Wendy Nicholas.

More funds are needed to finance a $75,000 study outlining what engineers and architects need to do to keep the home in one piece. Further support will allow the town and local schools to help create a music outreach center in the house.

Through the FCH, Fulgoni has sought to bring the 'Kids for Coltrane' program to second graders throughout the area, with the house as its home base. Its mission: to promote music appreciation and participation for primary school children.

"It was [Coltrane's] musical statement, that we should all lead a better life, where people of all races and religions are equal; to use a buzzword, this was his mission statement," Fulgoni said, holding up the lyrics to "A Love Supreme."

Ravi Coltrane spent the first six years of his life in the house. He was born in Huntington Hospital, where the father he never knew died when he was a year old. Ravi is an accomplished musician in his own right, and he has fond memories here: the room he slept in, the basement studio his mother (who died in 2007) worked in, the 'mothball' closet he would hide in.

"I would make several trips in my youth to come and look at [the home]," Ravi said. "I would drive by, knock on the door, talk to previous owners...I always knew in the back of my mind this house would always stand, and I would be able to come here with my kids."

Now the goal is to make the Coltrane home a thriving museum of music, according to town officials.

"The idea is to have kids come, walk through the museum, learn about Coltrane's music, learn about him, study music here, [and] have small performances here," Town Councilwoman Susan Berland said.

Part of the text from "A Love Supreme" reads: "No road is an easy one, but they all go back to God."

The road to keep the home afloat has certainly not been an easy one, but due to the dedication of his family and fans, the road will indeed go back home, to the house on Candlewood Path.

To the House of Coltrane.