Cousin Mary's House is Falling Apart

[Peter Johnson]

Taking the liberty (inspired by Dan/Gene Harris Fanatic) of posting the following from the BNBB/AAJ boards. I'm trying to get in touch with the John Coltrane Society to see if there's any way to help.

Originally posted by Gene Harris Fanatic:

I'm surprised no one caught this news blurb in the last day or so:

From AP:

The North Philadelphia home where the jazz great John Coltrane lived and worked in the 1950s is falling into disrepair, an an elderly cousin who lives there says she cannot afford to keep up repairs and maintenance. The three-story row house, designated a National Historic Landmark, is plagued with leaking pipes, collapsing ceilings, falling plaster and cracking walls. The cousin, Mary Alexander, 75, said the house had fallen into disrepair since her husband died in 1995. Mr. Coltrane stayed there from 1952 to 1958.

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I am assuming this is the Cousin Mary Trane immortalized in song. Does the family have no contact with the cousin? Surely Coltrane royalties could fix up the house. Its sad that a building can be designated a National Historic Landmark but apparently there is no public money to make sure that its historical significance is protected through funded repairs and upkeep.

But the news is looking up. In today's paper, there was something about Philadelphia's mayor taking action to get neighborhood businesses to contribute towards the needed repairs.

JSngry

This is indeed the same Cousin Mary. In Ashley Kahn's recent Love Supreme book, she was portrayed as being somewhat of a local guardian of Trane's legacy. It is a bit disconcerting to find out that Alice, Ravi, and the others have allowed this to happen, but there might be more to it than meets the eye.

One thing's for sure - if a building is designated a historical landmark, SOMEBODY needs to make sure that it's kept up, private coalition, local government, SOMEBODY. Shoot, if I know the money's going to be administered properly, I'll send a contribution! Won't be able to make it much, but if we want the historical legacy of jazz to be properly preserved, then we gotta participate in wahtever way we can, right?

And better the people than the government. Ain't no government ever made no jazz. But people are quick to flee, no?

Peter Johnson

I've been as (tacitly) guilty as anyone--living in Philadelphia and having driven by the house several times, I've said to myself, "wow--kind of a sad representation of a legacy." But have I done anything about it or researched how I might be able to help? No. I wonder what "Joe Citizen" (who happens to be "Joe Jazz Fanatic") can do to help?

Thanks for posting this eye-opener. I think I'll see if there's any way for people to get involved.

Peter Johnson

By the way, here's the article from the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Jazz great's home in need of repairs

A relative of John Coltrane struggles to keep it up.

By Vernon Clark

Inquirer Staff Writer

AKIRA SUWA / Inquirer

Mary Alexander, 75, the cousin of saxophonist John Coltrane, lives at the Coltrane House on North 33d St. Mayor Street has pledged to help raise $50,000 from area businesses for the home's preservation.

It is a house where music took giant steps, where saxophonist John Coltrane, an icon of modern jazz, composed works in the 1950s that still amaze and inspire.

Yet, little by little, this historic North Philadelphia rowhouse, sandwiched by two vacant houses, is sliding into disrepair.

Outside, a plaque installed by the National Park Service in 1999 reads: "In this place John Coltrane, African American jazz innovator, composed music for his first recordings in the 1950s. Through his musical genius and significant contribution to American music, Coltrane wrote his own epitaph."

Inside, the house at 1511 N. 33d St., a National Historic Landmark in the Strawberry Mansion section, is suffering from cracked walls, leaky pipes, collapsing ceilings, falling plaster, window frames that allow cold air to seep in, and a basement prone to flooding.

John William Coltrane, considered by many to be the greatest innovator of modern jazz, is known for expanding the boundaries of improvisation and melding influences from Asian and African music into jazz.

For Mary Alexander, 75, the owner, resident and Coltrane's cousin, the task of preserving the three-story rowhouse in honor of her famous relative, who died of cancer at age 40 in 1967, has become overwhelming.

Alexander, affectionately known as "Cousin Mary" after a song Coltrane wrote in tribute to her, said, "I want to renovate the house so that I can finish my years here."

"John bought this house in 1952 on the G.I. Bill for his mother, aunt and cousins. He stayed here most of the time from 1952 to 1958," said Alexander, who inherited the home.

For the last eight years, Alexander has struggled to deal with repairs and maintenance on the house, which attracts visitors from around the country and abroad. "I had the roof replaced, but it leaked again," she said.

Since the death of her husband, William Alexander, in 1995, it's been difficult getting the work done. "My husband kept the house up," she said. She lives in the house with another member of the John W. Coltrane Cultural Society, who helps her take care of it.

Alexander, a retired educational aide for the Philadelphia School District, is living on a fixed income. "People see that plaque outside and they think some money comes with it." she said. "It doesn't."

Mayor Street has pledged to help raise $50,000 from area businesses for the home's preservation, said Barbara Grant, a spokeswoman for the Mayor's Office.

Grant said Philadelphia "is a cultural mosaic, with many of the cultural institutions being neighborhood-based. The Coltrane House is an important part of that."

While the pledge raises hope for the future, the money is not guaranteed.

"I don't want to stay in here with things falling down on me. It's like everything is happening at the same time," Alexander said of the problems she faces in maintaining the house.

By the time Coltrane died, he had recorded more than 35 albums, including several, such as My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme, considered among the most important in the history of the music.

After studying the saxophone in high school, Coltrane moved to Philadelphia from High Point, N.C., at age 18. He continued to study music at Granoff Studios and the Ornstein School of Music in Philadelphia.

After a stint in the military, where he played with the Navy Band during World War II, Coltrane embarked on a his jazz career. He played with such jazz giants as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk and in his own groundbreaking bands.

He is revered in Strawberry Mansion, where his image looks out over the neighborhood from a large mural at 31st and Oxford Streets.

Jimmy Oliver, 78, a saxophonist who lives in the area, recalls spending time at the house with Coltrane, drummer "Philly Joe" Jones, and pianist "Red" Garland.

"We used to have sessions there. We discussed a lot of music there. Particularly during the bebop era," Oliver said.

Councilman Darrell Clarke, who lives a few blocks from the Coltrane House, said it "is a must-see location in Strawberry Mansion. We like to maintain the cornerstones of this community."

Mary Alexander has been dedicated over the years to preserving Coltrane's legacy through the Coltrane Cultural Society. The organization, of she was a cofounder in 1984, has presented children's workshops, lecture series, and some summer concerts in the backyard of the house. In recent years, she has had little involvement with the group because of her age.

Looking toward the future, Alexander said she wants to Coltrane legacy to live on in the house, where she keeps some of his mementos, including an upright piano he used to compose some of his music.

She plans to leave the home to Coltrane's son, Ravi Coltrane, himself a rising jazz saxophonist in New York.

"I don't know what he wants to do with it. But I would like it to still be available for young people to visit," she said.

JSngry

Peter, if you hear of any solicitation for funds outside of the Phiily area, and can vouch for the organization, please post here, ok?

Adkturn

quote:

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Originally posted by Peter Johnson:

...having driven by the house several times, I've said to myself, "wow--kind of a sad representation of a legacy."

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I had a similar experience in the 80's when I was in New Orleans and learned that the house where Buddy Bolden was born was still standing. I was warned by a local fan before I went to "not show a lot of interest in the property (take pictures, walk around the house)". This was because the low-lifes that had taken over the neighborhood by that time might think there was something of value inside to steal!

minew

New Orleans has been lamentably slow in recognizing its need to preserve such landmarks. However, we've been catching up in recent years. An organization called the African American Heritage Preservation Council tries to buy these houses and refurbish them for visitors or even to rent out! Maybe a similar group exists in Philly. Here's a link. The Ms. Avery of the email is the force behind this effort. Maybe she can help.

http://www.prcno.org/programsPop1.html

SingerChick

Wow. That's really, really sad! You'd think that if something was important enough to make it a historical landmark that it would be important enough for upkeep. Yeesh. And as though that wasn't bad enough, there is an old woman trying to live in there too!

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Kristen

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Dan

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