April 01, 2021

Coltrane Watch:

The Backstory

By Jazz Philadelphia | Research by Suzanne Cloud

Interventions over the last decade prove how anguished advocates have been over the property’s condition and the future.

The Backstory

What follows is a breakdown of some of the attempts at intervention since the house was transferred to someone outside the Coltrane family. This information has been compiled from research, interviews, and the personal experience of researcher Suzanne Cloud, who has been involved over the years in efforts to save the property.

Our hope with this report is simply to inform the community of all currently known efforts to intervene with the property, which is in disrepair, and adjacent to a property for which a demolition permit has been applied for—but at the time of this post, not issued—by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections.

A Timeline of Attempted Interventions to Save the John Coltrane House in Philadelphia from 2011 – 2021

2011 – Filmmaker Rob Armstrong and writer Tom Moon approach the owners* about making a film about John Coltrane, which will highlight the house. They solicited a grant from the Pew Center of Arts & Culture for the project through the Preservation Alliance.
2012 – The Pew Center of Arts and Culture awards $71,825 for the project and the grant includes money to do a community study on what to do with the historic property. Because the grant is not awarded to the owners directly, they withdraw from the entire project and community report. The short film, Coltrane’s Philadelphia, is made nonetheless and debuts at the International House and on WHYY in August 2013.
January 2012 – Don Gardner, who passed in 2018, was in 2012 the executive director of the Philadelphia Clef Club. He invites Suzanne Cloud, then executive director of Jazz Bridge, to meet with a representative of the owners at Clef Club to discuss fundraising to rehab the home.
April 2012 – A meeting is held with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy at City Hall with then director Gary Steuer and representatives from Jazz Bridge, LifeLine Music Coalition, and the Philadelphia Clef Club. The group plans and implements another “Great Day in Philadelphia” photo with Mayor Michael Nutter to raise attention about the need to rehab the house.
August 2012 – Homer Jackson, executive director of the Philadelphia Jazz Project, along with pianist Alfie Pollitt, percussionist Robert Kenyatta, and songwriter James Solomon meet with the person managing the house. She wants their help to form a John Coltrane House Planning Committee.
2013 – The Preservation Alliance releases its exhaustive study which included, as part of the process of developing the report, four focus groups. Every stakeholder with any ties to the success of the Coltrane House is invited to weigh in. To read the study, click here.
July 2013 – The Philadelphia Jazz Project presents a benefit performance for the Coltrane House with pianist Alfie Pollitt, saxophonist George Barron, bassist Lee Smith, and drummer Alan Nelson. A jazz walk event featuring public art installations all through Fairmount Park celebrating eight Philadelphia jazz icons, including John Coltrane, is presented.
September 2016 – Philadelphia Jazz Project presented nine days of Coltrane-related events as part of Philadelphia Celebrates John Coltrane. A city-wide series of events for Coltrane’s 90th birthday. The owners do not participate.2011 – Filmmaker Rob Armstrong and writer Tom Moon approach the owners* about making a film about John Coltrane, which will highlight the house. They solicited a grant from the Pew Center of Arts & Culture for the project through the Preservation Alliance.
2012 – The Pew Center of Arts and Culture awards $71,825 for the project and the grant includes money to do a community study on what to do with the historic property. Because the grant is not awarded to the owners directly, they withdraw from the entire project and community report. The short film, Coltrane’s Philadelphia, is made nonetheless and debuts at the International House and on WHYY in August 2013.
January 2012 – Don Gardner, who passed in 2018, was in 2012 the executive director of the Philadelphia Clef Club. He invites Suzanne Cloud, then executive director of Jazz Bridge, to meet with a representative of the owners at Clef Club to discuss fundraising to rehab the home.
April 2012 – A meeting is held with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy at City Hall with then director Gary Steuer and representatives from Jazz Bridge, LifeLine Music Coalition, and the Philadelphia Clef Club. The group plans and implements another “Great Day in Philadelphia” photo with Mayor Michael Nutter to raise attention about the need to rehab the house.
August 2012 – Homer Jackson, executive director of the Philadelphia Jazz Project, along with pianist Alfie Pollitt, percussionist Robert Kenyatta, and songwriter James Solomon meet with the person managing the house. She wants their help to form a John Coltrane House Planning Committee.
2013 – The Preservation Alliance releases its exhaustive study which included, as part of the process of developing the report, four focus groups. Every stakeholder with any ties to the success of the Coltrane House is invited to weigh in. To read the study, click here.
July 2013 – The Philadelphia Jazz Project presents a benefit performance for the Coltrane House with pianist Alfie Pollitt, saxophonist George Barron, bassist Lee Smith, and drummer Alan Nelson. A jazz walk event featuring public art installations all through Fairmount Park celebrating eight Philadelphia jazz icons, including John Coltrane, is presented.
September 2016 – Philadelphia Jazz Project presented nine days of Coltrane-related events as part of Philadelphia Celebrates John Coltrane. A city-wide series of events for Coltrane’s 90th birthday. The owners do not participate.
2011 – Filmmaker Rob Armstrong and writer Tom Moon approach the owners* about making a film about John Coltrane, which will highlight the house. They solicited a grant from the Pew Center of Arts & Culture for the project through the Preservation Alliance.
2012 – The Pew Center of Arts and Culture awards $71,825 for the project and the grant includes money to do a community study on what to do with the historic property. Because the grant is not awarded to the owners directly, they withdraw from the entire project and community report. The short film, Coltrane’s Philadelphia, is made nonetheless and debuts at the International House and on WHYY in August 2013.
January 2012 – Don Gardner, who passed in 2018, was in 2012 the executive director of the Philadelphia Clef Club. He invites Suzanne Cloud, then executive director of Jazz Bridge, to meet with a representative of the owners at Clef Club to discuss fundraising to rehab the home.
April 2012 – A meeting is held with the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy at City Hall with then director Gary Steuer and representatives from Jazz Bridge, LifeLine Music Coalition, and the Philadelphia Clef Club. The group plans and implements another “Great Day in Philadelphia” photo with Mayor Michael Nutter to raise attention about the need to rehab the house.
August 2012 – Homer Jackson, executive director of the Philadelphia Jazz Project, along with pianist Alfie Pollitt, percussionist Robert Kenyatta, and songwriter James Solomon meet with the person managing the house. She wants their help to form a John Coltrane House Planning Committee.
2013 – The Preservation Alliance releases its exhaustive study which included, as part of the process of developing the report, four focus groups. Every stakeholder with any ties to the success of the Coltrane House is invited to weigh in. To read the study, click here.
July 2013 – The Philadelphia Jazz Project presents a benefit performance for the Coltrane House with pianist Alfie Pollitt, saxophonist George Barron, bassist Lee Smith, and drummer Alan Nelson. A jazz walk event featuring public art installations all through Fairmount Park celebrating eight Philadelphia jazz icons, including John Coltrane, is presented.
September 2016 – Philadelphia Jazz Project presented nine days of Coltrane-related events as part of Philadelphia Celebrates John Coltrane. A city-wide series of events for Coltrane’s 90th birthday. The owners do not participate.

Stay tuned for more information as the #ColtraneWatch continues.

If you have information, additions, or corrections to our research to share, please send it to hblakeslee@jazzphiladelphia.org and info@suzanne.cloud and we will enter it into the larger record we’re creating.

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* The ownership and management of the house are difficult to untangle, but here, “owners” refer to members and associates of the Gadson family, including Aminta Gadson, Norman Gadson (deceased) and Leonora Early (deceased). Please note that jazz producer Leo Gadson is not part of the ownership/management group. It’s our current understanding that the Coltrane family would like to be the main party interacting with the current managers of the house as they try to come to a resolution to protect the property.