Graceland is the name of the 13.8 acre estate and large white-columned mansion that once belonged to Elvis Presley, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located in South Memphis' vast Whitehaven community about twelve miles from Downtown and less than four miles (6 km) north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as a museum. It was opened to the public in 1982, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1991 and declared a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006. Elvis Presley, who died at the estate on August 16, 1977, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Gardens.

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History

Graceland was originally owned by S. E. Toof, publisher of the Memphis newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal . The grounds were named after Toof's daughter, Grace, who would come to inherit the farm. Soon after, the portion of the land designated as Graceland today was given to a niece, Ruth Moore, who, in 1939 together with her husband Dr. Thomas Moore, had the present American "colonial" style mansion built.

Elvis purchased Graceland in early 1957 for approximately $100,000 after vacating an East Memphis house located at 1034 Audubon Drive. He moved because of privacy and security concerns, and the opposition of neighbors to the enthusiastic behavior of the many fans who slowly cruised by his home. ^[1] Elvis moved into Graceland together with his father Vernon Presley and his mother Gladys. After Gladys died in 1958, and Vernon married Dee Stanley in 1960, the couple lived there for a time. Wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu also lived at Graceland for five years before she and Elvis married. ^[2] After their marriage in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, Priscilla lived in Graceland five more years until she separated from Elvis in late 1972.

On August 16, 1977, Elvis died in his bathroom at Graceland allegedly of a heart attack, according to one medical examiner report at the time. However, there are conflicting reports as to the cause of his death. According to Peter Guralnick, the singer "had thrown up after being stricken, apparently while seated on the toilet. It looked to the medical investigator as if he had 'stumbled or crawled several feet before he died.' " The author adds that "drug use was heavily implicated in this unanticipated death of a middle-aged man with no known history of heart disease...no one ruled out the possibility of anaphylactic shock brought on by the codeine pills he had gotten from his dentist." ^[3]

After initially being buried at Forrest Hill Cemetery, and following an attempt to rob his grave, Presley's remains were moved to Graceland. The estate has become a pilgrimage for Elvis fans across the world.

Architecture and modifications

The mansion is constructed of tan limestone and consists of twenty-three rooms, including eight bedrooms and bathrooms. The entrance way contains several Corinthian columns and two large lions perched on both sides of the portico.

After purchasing the property Presley carried out extensive modifications to suit his needs and tastes, including: a fieldstone wall surrounding the grounds, a wrought-iron music styled gate, a swimming pool, a racquetball court, and the famous "Jungle Room" which features an indoor waterfall, among other modifications. In February and October 1976, the Jungle Room was converted into a recording studio, where Presley recorded the bulk of his final two albums, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue ; these were his final known recordings in a studio setting. ^[4]

One of Presley's better known modifications was the addition of the Meditation Gardens, where he, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and grandmother are buried. There is also a small stone placed to remember Elvis' twin brother, Jesse Garon who died at birth. The Meditation Garden was opened to the public in 1978. Graceland was officially opened to the public on June 7, 1982.

According to critics such as Albert Goldman, "'nothing in the house is worth a dime." In chapter 1 of his book, Elvis (1981), the author describes Graceland as looking like a brothel: "it appears to have been lifted from some turn-of-the-century bordello down in the French Quarter of New Orleans." And he dismisses the interior as "gaudy," "garish" and "phony," adding that "King Elvis's obsession with royal red reaches an intensity that makes you gag." For more details concerning the decorative arts that makes Elvis's mansion seem a creation as well as a site, see Karal Ann Marling, Graceland: Going Home With Elvis (Harvard University Press, 1996). Graceland's "act of faith in serial novelty," the author argues, synthesized the "intense concern for personal style" that made B. B. King notice a teenaged Elvis in a pawnshop years before he was famous and the fashion sense informing the "theme clothes" of the '70s — "carapace[s] of sheer, radiant glory."

Graceland grew from when originally bought by Presley to today. Managers of the complex announced a major renovation project that will include a new visitors center, a 500-room convention hotel and high-tech museum displays. The current visitors center, souvenir shops, the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, and museums will be torn down and replaced with the new facilities. The project will take approximately 3 years to complete.

Presley at Graceland

According to Mark Crispin Miller, Graceland became for Elvis "the home of the organization that was himself, was tended by a large vague clan of Presleys and deputy Presleys, each squandering the vast gratuities which Elvis used to keep his whole world smiling." The author adds that Presley's father Vernon "had a swimming pool in his bedroom", that there "was a jukebox next to the swimming pool, containing Elvis's favorite records" and that the singer himself "would spend hours in his bedroom, watching his property on a closed-circuit television." ^[5] Graceland was Lisa Marie Presley's first official home, and residence after her birth on February the 1st 1968 and her childhood home, although her main state of residence was California where she lived with her mother after she divorced Elvis when Lisa was in elementary school. Every year at Christmas time Lisa Marie Presley, and all her family go to Graceland to celebrate Christmas together. Lisa Marie Presley often goes back to Graceland for visits. When she turned 25, ^[6] Lisa Marie inherited the estate. In 2005 she sold 85 percent of it.

According to Brad Olsen, "Some of the rooms at Graceland testify to the brilliance and quirkiness of Elvis Presley. The TV room in the basement is where he often watched three television sets at once, and was within close reach of a wet bar." ^[7]

Elvis absolutely felt at home in this place. When he would tour, staying in hotels, "the rooms would be remodelled in advance of his arrival, so as to make the same configurations of space as he had at home – the Graceland mansion. His furniture would arrive, and he could unwind after his performances in surroundings which were completely familiar and comforting," the room in question, 'The Jungle Room' being "an example of particularly lurid kitsch." ^[8]

The Meditation Gardens, designed and built by architect and designer Bernard Grenadier, has been noted as a preferred place of Elvis in the property, where he often went to reflect on any problems or situations that arose during his life.

According to the singer's cousin Billy Smith, Elvis spent the night at Graceland with Smith and his wife Jo many times: "we were all three there talking for hours about everything in the world! Sometimes he would have a bad dream and come looking for me to talk to, and he would actually fall asleep in our bed with us." ^[9]

There was some discord between Elvis and his stepmother Dee at Graceland, however, and Elaine Dundy said "that Vernon had settled down with Dee where Gladys had once reigned, while Dee herself - when Elvis was away - had taken over the role of mistress of Graceland so thoroughly as to rearrange the furniture and replace the very curtains that Gladys had approved of." This was too much for the singer who still loved his deceased mother. One afternoon, "a van arrived ... and all Dee's household's goods, clothes, 'improvements,' and her own menagerie of pets, were loaded on ... while Vernon, Dee and her three children went by car to a nearby house on Hermitage until they finally settled into a house on Dolan Drive which ran alongside Elvis's estate." ^[10]

The book Elvis by the Presleys reveals several details concerning the singer's life at Graceland including his obsessions and passions when staying at home.

Visits to Graceland

In 1957, Presley invited Richard Williams and Buzz Cason to visit the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, where Graceland is located. They went there in Chester Power's '55 chevy "to get a close look at this mansion Elvis had told us about. ... We proceeded to clown around on the front porch, striking our best rock 'n' roll poses and snapping pictures with the little camera. We peeked in the not-yet-curtained windows and got a kick out of the pastel colored walls in the front rooms with shades of bright reds and purples that Elvis most certainly had picked out." ^[11]

"In the late 50s, Elvis was fond of claiming that the US government had mooted a visit to Graceland by Nikita Khrushchev, 'to see how in America a fellow can start out with nothing and, you know, make good'. Had the old Cold Warrior taken the trip and then lived to see the King's demise, he might have allowed himself a very Soviet laugh at that." (John Harris) ^[12]

On June 30, 2006, when US President George W. Bush hosted Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for a tour of the mansion, it became the only residence on American soil other than an Embassy, the White House, or any of the other Presidential retreats to have hosted a joint-visit by a sitting US president and a head of a foreign government. (Koizumi, who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006, is an avid Elvis Presley fan and even shares Presley's January 8 birthday.)

On August 14, 2007 (2 days before the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death) Dale Earnhardt Jr and his grandmother Martha Earnhardt unveiled his #8 Budweiser/Elvis Chevrolet that he raced at the 2007 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 in Richmond the following September 8.

Tourist destination

After Elvis Presley's death in 1977, Vernon Presley served as executor of his estate. Upon his death in 1979 he chose Priscilla to serve as the estate executor for Elvis' only child, Lisa Marie who was only 11. Graceland itself cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and expenses had dwindled Elvis's and Priscilla's daughter, Lisa Marie's inheritance to only 1 million. Taxes were due on the property, those and other expenses due came to over $500,000. faced with having to sell Graceland, Priscilla examined other famous houses/museums, and hired a CEO, Jack Soden from Kansas City, MO to turn Graceland into a moneymaker. Graceland was opened to the public in 1982. Priscilla's gamble paid off, after only a month after opening Graceland's doors the estate made back all the money it had invested in it. Priscilla Presley became the chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley Enterprises or, EPE stating at that time she would do so until Lisa Marie reached 21 years of age. The enterprise's fortunes soared and eventually the trust grew to be worth over $100 million. Graceland is now statistically the second most visited private residence in the United States, behind the White House.

An annual procession through the estate and past Elvis's grave is held on the anniversary of his death. The largest gathering assembled on the twenty-fifth anniversary in 2002. One estimate was of 40,000 people in attendance, despite the heavy rain.

The biggest crowd in Memphis for an Elvis Week is generally regarded as the 20th Anniversary in 1997. At this time several hundred media groups from around the world were present and the event gained its greatest media publicity as an estimated 50,000 fans visited the city.

The Graceland grounds include a museum containing many Elvis artifacts, like some of his famous Vegas jumpsuits, awards, gold records, the Lisa Marie jetliner, and Elvis's extensive auto collection. Recently Sirius Satellite Radio installed an all-Elvis Presley channel on the grounds. The service's subscribers all over North America can hear Presley's music from Graceland around the clock. Two new attractions have been added, Private Presley and the `68 Special Exhibit; these can be found across the street on the plaza.

Tours of the museums at Graceland are available, though no flash photography or video cameras are allowed inside. The tour of the Graceland mansion is an audio tour, and the upper floor is not open to visitors, partially to avoid any improper focus on the bathroom which was the site of his death. The upper floor, which also contains Elvis's bedroom, has been untouched since the day Elvis died. Visitors park across the street, loading onto shuttle buses to begain the tour of Graceland. Headphones are given out by attendants and as you pass by to get on the shuttles, your photo is snapped by a sovenir photographer in front of a painted wall with Graceland's famous music gates. Loading onto tourist full shuttle buses you begin your tour of Graceland, the buses driving across the street of Elvis Presley Blvd. through the smaller than you think music gates. Down the long winding drive your bus finally comes to a stop in front of the stone lions that stand watch before you step onto the wide red brick front steps. It was behind these lions that over 3500 of Elvis' mourning fans passed by to see his body in it's casket. The house is much bigger than expected, the photos you see are of the main part only. A tour guide stands at the closed doors and gives you a brief history of Graceland starting with the woman (Grace) it was named for and concluding with the fact that Elvis bought Graceland when he was only 22 years old. Finally the door opens and you walk through the front door. Almost directly overhead, perhaps forever unseen by the public, is where Elvis died, on his bathroom floor.

Upon entering Graceland, the white staircase, filled with reflective mirrors, is directly in front of you. To the right is the Living Room with the adjoining Music Room, it is the first room to be presented on the tour. There are rails up prohibiting you to go fully into the Living Room and you can only see part of the Music Room which is hidden behind a doorway framed by vivid large peacocks set in beautiful stained glass. It was here in this doorway, in front of the stained glass that Elvis' casket was placed for the funeral held in his home. What you can see in the Music Room is a white baby grande piano and a old 70's style TV. The Living Room is almost imposing with its larger than life 9 foot solid white sofa that sits against the wall that overlooks Graceland's front yard. To your left is a white firplace, immaculant, everything perfectly displayed in its place. Here in the Living Room hangs the painting that was Elvis' last Christmas present from his father Vernon, also displayed here are photographs of Elvis' parents Vernon and Gladys Presley, Elvis and Lisa Marie. These rooms are then followed with a walk past the grand stair case to Elvis' parents room.

In Elvis's parent's bedroom once again white is the prominent color. A dramatic velvet looking dark purple bedspread drapes elegantly onto the floor at the foot of the queen size bed. The walls, dresser, bed and carpet are bright white. Once again a rail prohibits you from going directly inside the room, to your right is the closet, sealed with see through glass showing 4 or 5 of dresses Gladys' wore. To the left is a pink full bathroom, almost obscured from sight because of your velvet rope barrier.

Next the tour takes you into the dining room and the kitchen. The tour continues through the basement, where Elvis's media room with its three televisions can be viewed. A bar and billiards room can also be found. The tour continues back upstairs, through the famous Jungle Room. After the Jungle room, you exit the house to the backyard, past Lisa Marie's childhood swingset, to a small white building that served as his father Vernon's office. Through the office there is a small room containing a scale model of the home he was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. In what used to be an old smokehouse you come upon Elvis' shooting range. Down the sloping lawn, past beautiful horses grazing behind the neat white fences, you enter the "Trophy Room". Originally this space was just a sidewalk behind the house that Elvis had enclosed to store his many items of appreciation. Just inside is Elvis' famous gold lamé suit from his early years.

There is much to see every where at Graceland, in the Trophy Room there seem to be few walls that are uncluttered with records, movie posters, old time memorabilia of lipstick and shoes, even a 1950's Elvis doll. The Trophy Room has everything from the three Grammy's Elvis won to Priscilla's wedding dress, Elvis' wedding tuxedo, Lisa Marie's toy chest and baby clothes to the infamous hall of Elvis' many gold records and awards. The Trophy Room then winds you down the halls through a display of his 68 Comeback, featuring his leather suit, his personal copies of his movie scripts, the costumes he wore in many of his movies and a few of his infamous "jumpsuits". Also in this room are all the awards and distinctions Elvis received. Also hanging on the wall is a display of the many canceled checks Elvis wrote to various charities.

Exiting the opposite side of the Trophy Room you are once again back outside on a sidewalk moving past more grazing horses, past immaculantly kept prfectly green lawns and past his still fully functioning stable of horses. Elvis's Racketball Court is next. The court now houses a display of Elvis' trademark sequined "jumpsuits". The entrance of the Racketball Court is reminiscent of entering an old country club, expertly built and expensively furnihed in dark leathers on the numerous bar chairs and sofas. A fully functional bar is on your right upon entering, to the left is a sunken level sitting area with the ever present stereo system found throughout Graceland. There is also the dark brown upright piano upon which Elvis played for what was to be his last song, Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain". The sitting area has a floor to ceiling shatter proof window designed to watch the amny racketball games that took place here when Elvis was alive. In the early hours of the morning Elvis died he, his girlfriend Ginger Rogers, his first cousin Billy Smith and Billy's wife Jo played a game of Racketball ending the game with the song on the piano before Elvis walked into the main house to wash his hair and go to bed. Today the Racketball court has been converted into displays of what is the majority of Elvis' stage costumes. More costumes are on display across the street in the Sincerely Elvis area. As in the Trophy Room, not a single square inch of vacant wall space seems to exist. More old vinal records are hanging in the two story former Racketball court, including the numerous awards that were presented posthumously. Big screen Tvs ar scattered throughout Graceland, here in the Racketball court Elvis' movies and recordings of his Las Vegas concerts play continually. Leaving the Racketball court you pass by te swimming pool Elvis had built after moving to Graceland.

Just past the pool area is the Meditation Garden. Buried here are Elvis, his mother Gladys, his father Vernon and grandmother Minnie Mae Hood Presley. A separate building houses a car collection and not far away his two planes Lisa Marie (a Convair 880) and Hound Dog II (a Lockheed JetStar) are on display.

One of the most impressive displays is the trophy room off the main house, displaying Elvis's huge collection of gold and platinum records and other awards, stage costumes, photographs and more.

National Historic Landmark

Graceland was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1991. On March 27, 2006, Gale Norton, United States Secretary of the Interior, designated Graceland a National Historic Landmark—joining the White House, the Alamo, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Dealey Plaza, and Mount Vernon. However, as there are almost 2,500 sites in the United States sharing this designation, the elevation, according to John Harris, "falls slightly short", as such legendary sites also include "the Frederick Bagg Bonanza Farm in North Dakota and Kentucky's Louisville Water Company Pumping Station." ^[12]

Recent developments

In early August 2005, Lisa Marie Presley sold 85% of the business side of her father's estate. She kept the Graceland property itself, as well as the bulk of the possessions found therein, and she turned over the management of Graceland to CKX, Inc., an entertainment company that also owns 19 Entertainment, creator of the American Idol TV show.

In February 2006, CKX Chairman Bob Sillerman announced plans to turn Graceland into an international tourist destination on a par with the Disney or Universal theme parks, sprucing up the area mansion and doubling the 600,000 annual visitors. Sillerman’s goal is to enhance the "total fan experience" at Graceland to compel visitors to spend more time and money. The company is working with the Bob Weis Design Island Associates, based in Orlando, Florida, to improve the tourist area around Graceland, which is located in an economically-depressed area of Memphis, while keeping intact the historic home.

Sillerman, who has been speaking with investors and developers, said he will ask local governments to help improve some of the public spaces around Graceland. He wants to expand the visitor center and exhibit space to showcase thousands of pieces of Elvis memorabilia that have never been seen. A new hotel is a possibility, or an expansion to the nearby Heartbreak Hotel.

While visitor numbers grew to around 700,000, by 2005, and partly due to the negative impact on US tourism of 9/11, visitor numbers at Graceland had reportedly declined to around 600,000.

Graceland in pop culture

Paul Simon's album "Graceland" was inspired by the place. The album, released in 1986 was a blockbuster critical and commercial success, reaching #1 in many countries, including the UK, spawning four hit singles, selling over twelve million copies and winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987. The "title song", which presents Graceland as a holy place, also won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year a year later.

Movies such as "Finding Graceland" have Presley as the central character and bear spiritual messages. The song "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn features Graceland prominently.

There are even film titles ironically alluding to Presley's estate and the Elvis cult practiced there nowadays. For example, the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland is about a group of criminals who plan to rob a casino during an international Elvis week, and to make it easier, they are all disguised as Elvis impersonators.

In the TV show Full House, Elvis fan Jesse Katsopolis talked about holding his wedding at Graceland.

Notes

1. See Before Graceland and news articles cited therein.
2. See Tracy McVeigh, "Love me tender", ''The Observer'', August 11, 2002.
3. Peter Guralnick, ''Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley'' (1999), p.651-652.
4. Ernst Jorgensen, ''Elvis Presley: A Life in Music - The Complete Recording Sessions'' (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998), pp. 394-402
5. Mark Crispin Miller, ''Boxed in: The Culture of TV'' (Northwestern University Press, 1988), p.192.
6. The Estate of Elvis Presley/The Elvis Presley Trust: EPE History and Structure: All About Elvis
7. Brad Olsen, ''Sacred Places North America: 108 Destinations'', p.281.
8. Andrew Ballantyne, "The Nest and the Pillar of Fire." In ''What Is Architecture?'' (2002), p.24.
9. Billy Smith interview Part Two." Elvis Information Network.
10. Elaine Dundy, ''Elvis and Gladys'' (2004), p.329-330.
11. Buzz Cason, ''Living the Rock 'N' Roll Dream: The Adventures of Buzz Cason'' (2004), p.47.
12. John Harris, "Talking about Graceland". ''The Guardian'', March 27, 2006.
13. John Harris, "Talking about Graceland". ''The Guardian'', March 27, 2006.

References

1. See Before Graceland and news articles cited therein.
2. See Tracy McVeigh, "Love me tender", ''The Observer'', August 11, 2002.
3. Peter Guralnick, ''Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley'' (1999), p.651-652.
4. Ernst Jorgensen, ''Elvis Presley: A Life in Music - The Complete Recording Sessions'' (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998), pp. 394-402
5. Mark Crispin Miller, ''Boxed in: The Culture of TV'' (Northwestern University Press, 1988), p.192.
6. The Estate of Elvis Presley/The Elvis Presley Trust: EPE History and Structure: All About Elvis
7. Brad Olsen, ''Sacred Places North America: 108 Destinations'', p.281.
8. Andrew Ballantyne, "The Nest and the Pillar of Fire." In ''What Is Architecture?'' (2002), p.24.
9. Billy Smith interview Part Two." Elvis Information Network.
10. Elaine Dundy, ''Elvis and Gladys'' (2004), p.329-330.
11. Buzz Cason, ''Living the Rock 'N' Roll Dream: The Adventures of Buzz Cason'' (2004), p.47.
12. John Harris, "Talking about Graceland". ''The Guardian'', March 27, 2006.
13. John Harris, "Talking about Graceland". ''The Guardian'', March 27, 2006.