Coltrane home honored as a National Treasure

WASHINGTON - The Long Island home of John Coltrane, the pioneering jazz musician and composer, and his wife Alice, an accomplished and influential musician and spiritual leader, was named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"The Dix Hills home of John and Alice Coltrane is a tangible link to an extremely creative and transformative period in their lives and careers," Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said Tuesday, Oct. 9. "Restoring and reusing the home for music education and outreach will honor the Coltranes' values of innovation, creativity, and hard work and bring it to life in a space closely tied to their lives and careers."

John was revolutionizing the jazz world and Alice was already a respected musician when they moved to Dix Hills on Long Island, New York, in 1964. The 1952 ranch-style house on three acres offered the Coltranes privacy and room to record, compose, and raise a family.

The National Trust will bring its nearly 70 years of expertise to help the Friends of the John and Alice Coltrane Home implement a vision for the property - now vacant and in disrepair but largely intact.

Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," regarded as a modern masterpiece, was composed in an upstairs bedroom. Alice Coltrane added harp and organ to her mastery of piano and made groundbreaking recordings in the basement studio.

"John and Alice Coltrane sought to elevate minds and hearts of society through their musical offerings," said their daughter, Michelle Coltrane. "The alliance with the National Trust for Historic Preservation will allow us to uphold my parents' mission of supporting generations of artists and musicians and commemorate their achievements and values, which are deeply embodied in their legacy."

"The Coltranes' message is one of courage, commitment and compassion," said Ron Stein, president, Friends of the John and Alice Coltrane Home. "With the Home as our base, we will reach outward with that message to educate, lift up and inspire our youth, empower girls and young women, encourage the creative spirit in all, and bring people together around the healing and hopeful power of music."

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America's historic places. For information, visit www.savingplaces.org/coltrane.