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Graceland
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Memphis, Tennessee
Built	1957
Architect	Furbringer & Ehrman
Architectural style	Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	91001585
Added to NRHP	November 07, 1991

Graceland is the name of the large white-columned estate that once belonged to Elvis Presley, located at 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It currently serves as a museum that was opened to the public in 1982, and 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. 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 is the longest-lasting Prime Minister in Japanese history, is an avid Elvis Presley fan and even shares Presley's January 8 birthday.)

Presley, who died at the estate on August 16, 1977, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Gardens.

History

Graceland was originally owned by S. E. Toof, a publisher of the publication "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 "the colonial" style mansion built.

Presley purchased Graceland in early 1957 after moving out of a Memphis house located at 1034 Audubon Drive because of privacy and security concerns. He moved in together with his father Vernon Presley and his mother Gladys. After his mother 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. 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 passed away at Graceland of a heart attack, according the medical examiners report at the time. However, there are conflicting reports as to the cause of his death. See related material on this controversy at Elvis Presley.

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 sdes 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 a indoor waterfall, among other modifications.

One of Presleys better known modifications was the addition of the Meditation Gardens, where he, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and grandmother are buried. It has been noted as a preferred places of Elvis in the property, where he often went to reflect on any problems or situations that arose during his life. The garden was opened to the public in 1978.

Graceland grew from 10,266 square feet when originally bought by Presley to 17,552 square feet today.

Tourist destination

After Elvis Presley's death in 1977, Priscilla Presley served as executor of his estate. Graceland itself cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and expenses had dwindled Elvis and Priscilla's daughter Lisa Marie's inheritance to $5 million. Priscilla examined other famous house/museums, and hired a CEO to turn Graceland into a moneymaker. She became the chairwoman and president of Elvis Presley Enterprises. After Graceland opened to the public in 1982, 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, Elvis Presley After Dark and Elvis 56; these can be found 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. The upper floor, which contains Elvis' bedroom, has been untouched since the day Elvis died. The tour enters through the front door, and living areas and the kitchen are first on the tour. 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, then outside to Elvis's grave.

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.

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 par with the Disney or Universal theme parks, sprucing up the area mansion and double 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 1986 song "Graceland" (see Graceland (song)) presents Graceland as a holy place. 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 quite prominently.

Notes

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
2. See Tracy McVeigh, "Love me tender", The Observer, August 11, 2002.

References

• Engel, Matthew. "Still stuck on Elvis, fans exalt the King". The Guardian (London), August 17, 2002, p. 1.
• Harris, John. "Talking about Graceland". The Guardian (London), March 27, 2006.

External links

• Official website
• National Historic Landmark news release
• Elvis Information Network History of the building

35°2′46″N 90°1′23″W / 35.04611°N 90.02306°W / 35.04611; -90.02306

• Biographical museums in the United States
• Elvis Presley
• Houses in Tennessee
• Landmarks in Tennessee
• National Historic Landmarks of the United States
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Registered Historic Places in Tennessee
• Shrines