Saving

The

Home

Saving The Home

In 1964 when John and Alice Coltrane moved with their family to a quaint suburban house in Dix Hills, the Long Island community, located 35 miles east of Manhattan, was suddenly home to two of the great figures in 20th century music and spirituality. Alice and John unequivocally created some of the most influential and continually inspiring art of their time, much of which was composed, rehearsed, and recorded within the house itself. Beyond the traditional family rooms, where their four children were raised, there were spaces for meditation, practicing, and a fully equipped recording studio where Alice made her landmark Impulse! Records albums. Upstairs in the spare bedroom, John wrote the canonical A Love Supreme. Being in the suburbs of New York City at a pivotal moment in American history and politics, the two artists filled their modest space with parental warmth, homeliness, and an endless well of creative energy.

The mid-century ranch style house was constructed in 1952 on a 3.4-acre lot. In 2004, facing demolition, the structure was saved by a group of volunteers that became the Friends of the John and Alice Coltrane Home of Dix Hills, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. By 2005, The Town of Huntington, New York had purchased the property and transferred the deed to the Friends, who since have been working to raise awareness and funds for reopening The Home to the public. The Home was listed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2007. In 2011, it was listed as one of eleven “Most Endangered” places and in 2018 was deemed a “National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.” Beyond this esteemed award, the National Trust also aided in the restoration process by placing The Home in a cohort of significant African American cultural sites. Plans for The Home are extensive, including a total structural renovation and elaborate curatorial series to be enjoyed by the Dix Hills community and world travelers alike.

I want to be a force for good

John Coltrane

The Music is in your heart, your soul, your spirit

Alice Coltrane