In March of 2006, Elvis Presley's Graceland estate spent my youth to the level of Washington's Mount Vernon and Jefferson's Monticello. It officially was a National Historic Monument.
Of course, long before the Secretary of the Interior chose to make this public announcement, Presley fans worldwide had made his home a trendy tourist destination; Graceland already attracted greater than 600,000 people yearly. The designation of his home as being a national landmark celebrates his widely-known contributions to American culture and music history.
Elvis Presley is among the most influential figures in Last century music and pop culture. He was most popular as a musician and was indicted into three halls of fame: the Stone Hall of Fame, the nation Music Hall of Fame, along with the GMA Gospel Hall of Fame. No other artist has been honored by the three establishments. Presley also triumphed in the media and starred in 33 movies.
Shortly after his rise to stardom, Elvis felt any excuses for privacy. In 1957 he moved from working-class East Memphis and purchased the 14-acre Graceland estate. The cost: $103,000 - easily purchased with arises from his first hit record, "Heartbreak Hotel". Graceland could be Elvis's primary residence for the next Two decades. His parents lived there too, as did his wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu and finally their daughter, Lisa Marie. Elvis died in an upstairs Graceland bathroom in 1977.
The Graceland estate is situated south of downtown Memphis which is just a few miles north in the Mississippi border. The grounds were named after Grace Toot, the daughter in the home's original owner. Grace inherited the home while it was still farmland. She gifted the land with a niece, Ruth Moore, who had the mansion built.
The colonial-style mansion is made of tan limestone with white columns. Two stone lions appear to guard the front entrance. Elvis Presley expanded the living space from about 10,000 sq ft to 17,000 square feet. He is known for his extravagance along with a unique sense of design; some refer to it as kitschy. The home reflected Elvis well; he became so comfortable there that whenever he traveled, his hotel rooms were pre-decorated with furniture sent from Graceland.
Elvis's indoor and outdoor estate expansions were considerable. For privacy, he constructed a fieldstone wall around the grounds. (Today it is packed with visitors' graffiti.) He added a wrought-iron privacy gate external drive; it's decorated with iron musical notes. He installed a swimming pool with adjacent jukebox in his parents' bedroom, and also the famous Jungle Room features a waterfall. Elvis also kept several televisions in the basement and was known to watch three simultaneously.
Today, audio tours begin at the lion-flanked portico. Visitors then see Elvis's living room and the adjacent music room. The tour moves for the kitchen and dining room, after which downstairs to the basement to see side-by-side TVs, a bar, plus a billiards table. The tour continues upstairs inside Jungle Room. Elvis memorabilia are displayed throughout, with his sequined jumpsuits being especially prominent. Outdoors, people is able to see his trophy collection, horse stables, plus a shooting range. A separate building displays his car collection and two small airplanes. Public tours show high of the mansion but avoid the top floor where Elvis passed on.
Elvis died at Graceland in 1977. Medical reports vary; he apparently had a drug-induced heart attack. He was buried with a public cemetery but people attempted to rob his grave. Presley's remains were gone to live in his mansion's Meditation Gardens, the location where the performer joined his deceased parents and grandmother. The August 16th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death is an especially popular time for Graceland visits. Despite a downpour of rain through Memphis, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death drew a procession of 40,000 people.
After Elvis's death, Priscilla Presley managed the house and greatly increased its value by promoting tourism. Graceland opened to the public in 1982. The Presleys' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the estate when she turned Three decades old. She kept the mansion but sold 85% in the grounds to a private management company in 2005. The brand new owner, CKX, Inc., plans to make Graceland a theme park on par with Disneyland.
Of course, long before the Secretary of the Interior chose to make this public announcement, Presley fans worldwide had made his home a trendy tourist destination; Graceland already attracted greater than 600,000 people yearly. The designation of his home as being a national landmark celebrates his widely-known contributions to American culture and music history.
Elvis Presley is among the most influential figures in Last century music and pop culture. He was most popular as a musician and was indicted into three halls of fame: the Stone Hall of Fame, the nation Music Hall of Fame, along with the GMA Gospel Hall of Fame. No other artist has been honored by the three establishments. Presley also triumphed in the media and starred in 33 movies.
Shortly after his rise to stardom, Elvis felt any excuses for privacy. In 1957 he moved from working-class East Memphis and purchased the 14-acre Graceland estate. The cost: $103,000 - easily purchased with arises from his first hit record, "Heartbreak Hotel". Graceland could be Elvis's primary residence for the next Two decades. His parents lived there too, as did his wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu and finally their daughter, Lisa Marie. Elvis died in an upstairs Graceland bathroom in 1977.
The Graceland estate is situated south of downtown Memphis which is just a few miles north in the Mississippi border. The grounds were named after Grace Toot, the daughter in the home's original owner. Grace inherited the home while it was still farmland. She gifted the land with a niece, Ruth Moore, who had the mansion built.
The colonial-style mansion is made of tan limestone with white columns. Two stone lions appear to guard the front entrance. Elvis Presley expanded the living space from about 10,000 sq ft to 17,000 square feet. He is known for his extravagance along with a unique sense of design; some refer to it as kitschy. The home reflected Elvis well; he became so comfortable there that whenever he traveled, his hotel rooms were pre-decorated with furniture sent from Graceland.
Elvis's indoor and outdoor estate expansions were considerable. For privacy, he constructed a fieldstone wall around the grounds. (Today it is packed with visitors' graffiti.) He added a wrought-iron privacy gate external drive; it's decorated with iron musical notes. He installed a swimming pool with adjacent jukebox in his parents' bedroom, and also the famous Jungle Room features a waterfall. Elvis also kept several televisions in the basement and was known to watch three simultaneously.
Today, audio tours begin at the lion-flanked portico. Visitors then see Elvis's living room and the adjacent music room. The tour moves for the kitchen and dining room, after which downstairs to the basement to see side-by-side TVs, a bar, plus a billiards table. The tour continues upstairs inside Jungle Room. Elvis memorabilia are displayed throughout, with his sequined jumpsuits being especially prominent. Outdoors, people is able to see his trophy collection, horse stables, plus a shooting range. A separate building displays his car collection and two small airplanes. Public tours show high of the mansion but avoid the top floor where Elvis passed on.
Elvis died at Graceland in 1977. Medical reports vary; he apparently had a drug-induced heart attack. He was buried with a public cemetery but people attempted to rob his grave. Presley's remains were gone to live in his mansion's Meditation Gardens, the location where the performer joined his deceased parents and grandmother. The August 16th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death is an especially popular time for Graceland visits. Despite a downpour of rain through Memphis, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death drew a procession of 40,000 people.
After Elvis's death, Priscilla Presley managed the house and greatly increased its value by promoting tourism. Graceland opened to the public in 1982. The Presleys' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the estate when she turned Three decades old. She kept the mansion but sold 85% in the grounds to a private management company in 2005. The brand new owner, CKX, Inc., plans to make Graceland a theme park on par with Disneyland.
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