Just weeks after what would have been John Coltrane’s 100th birthday, The Root is taking you inside the sacred space where magic first sparked and where it still transcends six decades later.
Imagine walking into a quiet Long Island home and knowing two legends reshaped music inside its walls. That’s the sanctuary where Coltrane composed “A Love Supreme”— one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of jazz— and where Alice created spiritual jazz albums that changed the course of music forever.
Two Legends. One Roof.
Nestled 30 miles east of Manhattan at 247 Candlewood Path, this 3.4-acre Dix Hills property with picturesque green landscape gave the Coltrane family a quiet suburban sanctuary from 1964 to 1973, according to their home’s official website.
“A Love Supreme” (1965)
In the summer of 1964, John Coltrane retreated to the second-floor bedroom of his newly purchased 1952 ranch-style home where jazz history was made. For days, he isolated himself upstairs—a tranquil space reserved for “pondering the music he heard within himself,” as Alice recalled. It was within those four walls that he composed what would become a legendary masterpiece.
From a Long Island Bedroom to the World…
When he finally walked down the stairs, Alice later remembered how her husband looked like “Moses coming down from the mountain.” But instead of holding a staff to part the Red Sea, John carried the drafts for “A Love Supreme,” a four-part devotional suite written at home that would transform jazz into a sacred, universal prayer.
History-Making
“A Love Supreme”—a deeply devotional and meditative declaration of faith and gratitude—was recorded in one session in December 1964 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Nominated for the Best Jazz Instrumental Album Grammy Award in 1966, “A Love Supreme” is still widely considered the greatest jazz album ever made.
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The Birth of Alice’s Musical Career
John’s music wasn’t the only history made under that roof. After John’s passing in 1967 from liver cancer, Alice transformed the basement into a state-of-the-art home studio—complete with original acoustic tiling, wood paneling, and mid-century details.
Alice Coltrane’s Haven
There, Alice recorded her revolutionary spiritual jazz albums for Impulse! Records in the late ’60s and early ’70s. Inside that home studio, she processed grief, motherhood, and spiritual awakening into sound, giving birth to iconic records like “A Monastic Trio” (1968) and “Ptah, the El Daoud” (1970).
A Threat to History
After John’s death, Alice continued to live at the house with their children until 1973. But since the house had been vacant for decades and hadn’t been declared an official landmark like past homes of artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington have, a land developer acquired the property in 2002, according to JazzTimes.
The Crusade to Save Jazz Royalty
Plans to demolish the house, subdivide the acres, and build new homes were in place in 2004—until a local jazz fan stepped in to help. Steve Fulgoni, an engineer, music store owner, and the founder of the Friends of the John & Alice Coltrane Home led an international crusade to rescue the Coltrane home.
“I picked up the newspaper, and I looked at the date, and the date of the newspaper was July 17, which was the anniversary of his [John’s] death,” Fulgoni said, NPR reported in 2012. “And I said to myself, ‘I need to do something.’”
A National Treasure
Driven by passionate volunteer support, the home was successfully preserved and designated as a local, state, and national historic site.
Recognized by the Nation
CBS New York reported the home is now honored as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It was previously listed among the nation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
61 Years After “A Love Supreme”
Beginning in 2024, the couple’s home is being restored as a center for education, inspiration, and community. “With your support, we can transform this landmark into a vibrant museum, cultural hub, and music education center,” the home’s official YouTube announced. Renovations will also include “recording studios, performance spaces, and meditation rooms—all honoring the Coltranes’ incredible contributions to music, spirituality, and social change.”
A Centennial Celebration
On September 23, 2026, the world commemorated what would have been John Coltrane’s 100th birthday with Coltrane 100, a year-long global celebration of the music, spiritual vision, and creative courage that continue to inspire generations.
Reclaiming Sacred Ground
To protect the site from erasure, the Town of Huntington announced the purchase of the property, and officially handed stewardship over to the Friends of the Coltrane Home. Supported by an ongoing partnership with the town to maintain the surrounding parklands, the Coltrane family is ensuring it reopens its doors to inspire generations of dreamers and musicians for years to come.
