The Home of Elvis: Graceland
The Ultimate Guide to Graceland: An American Icon
Memphis is all about Elvis Presley. There are so many places in town to visit where Elvis hung out. There is Sun Studio where you can sing into Elvis’s mike, the apartment where he grew up, a hotel Priscilla designed, and even the beauty salon, now a restaurant, where Priscilla got her hair done! The best place to experience Elvis, when you are in Memphis, is his home, Graceland.
Graceland is a fascinatingly authentic experience because you are literally walking in the footsteps of “the King of Rock n’ Roll,” known and loved throughout the world. It really doesn’t matter if you are an Elvis fan or a newbie, the experience of Graceland is a walk back in time. In addition, to the house which is amazing, there are so many exhibits - Elvis’s father’s office, separate buildings that are home to Elvis’s costumes, family photos and movies, the suit and dress Elvis and Priscilla got married in, and even Lisa Marie’s crib. There is an entire exhibit of Elvis’s fleet of cars including the pink Cadillac he bought his mother, and the
airplanes he owned including one he named after his daughter, Lisa Marie, and another called Hound Dog II. Visiting Graceland is a nostalgic journey that is heartwarming and real.
After touring Graceland, here are just some of the most interesting things I learned during my visit.
Why Graceland?
Although Elvis had nine different homes all over the country, he chose Memphis and Graceland as his home base. Originally, Graceland was established in 1861 by the Toof family as a cattle farm and was named after one of the original landowners named Grace. The mansion was built in 1939, by Grace’s niece, Ruth, and her husband, Dr. Thomas Moore. Elvis’s parents, Vernon and Gladys saw the house first and put a $1,000 down payment on it on March 16, 1957. The purchase went through on March 25, 1957. Elvis was only 22 when he purchased the home and grounds for $102,500. At the time of its purchase, Elvis was working on his second motion picture, “Loving You” with “Jailhouse Rock” to follow.
About Graceland
When we think of the sprawling and lavish celebrity homes of today’s superstars, Graceland seems small at first glance. Originally, Graceland was a 10,266 square-foot house surrounded by 13.8 beautifully manicured acres. On May 16, 1957, Elvis’s parents and grandparents moved in while he continued filming. Elvis didn’t stay at Graceland until June 26, 1957. The famous Graceland Music Gates were installed on April 22, 1957, and the kidney-shaped pool was built in June of 1957. Today, Graceland is 17,552 square feet and includes five sets of stairs and three fireplaces; two are gas burning and one is wood burning.
In addition to the house there are separate buildings that house Vernon Presley’s office, the Trophy Building studded with awards and accolades, and the Racquetball Building that houses Elvis memorabilia including many of his glittering Vegas Suits including his tuxedo of gold, family films, and photos, furniture, and much more. Special exhibits include Elvis’ airplanes, the Presley Motors Automobile Museum, the Cycles Museum, Private Presley: In the Army, Icons: The Influence of Elvis, Elvis the Entertainer, Tupelo Exhibit, and Growing Up Presley: Lisa Marie.
Only the White House Has More Visitors
More than 700,000 fans, old and new, flock to Graceland year after year. Today, Graceland is the second most visited home in America besides the White House. Graceland was designated a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006, because of Elvis Presley’s achievements and contributions to American culture and musical history. This designation is the highest recognition for historic properties.
A 1974 Time Capsule
The last time the house was decorated was 1974, and touring the rooms is like walking back to that era. Out of respect, the family has kept the house the same and has not changed the decor. Visitors arriving at the house are given an iPad that has a welcome recorded by Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie.
The tour is narrated by John Stamos and guides visitors at their own pace around the living room, music room, Elvis’s parent’s bedroom, dining room, kitchen, Jungle room, TV room, pool room, and outer buildings. The living room is decorated with peacocks - the story goes that Elvis associated them with eternal life. The dining room is traditional 70s with a gleaming chandelier. The kitchen is decorated in earth tones, typical of the 70s. Elvis’s parent’s bedroom has a crisp almost modern look in white and plum that is refreshing. All these rooms are relatively conservative and homey. It is not until you get deeper into the house that you get a bit of rock star Vegas glamour. A local designer, Bill Eubanks, designed the flashy canary yellow, black, and white TV room with a mirrored ceiling, walls, and three TV sets. And, then, there is the Billiard Room.
What to Look at in the Pool/Billiard Room
One of the most amazing rooms at Graceland is the Pool Room - whose walls and the ceiling are covered in a pleated fabric with an elaborate print. Elvis got the idea from a photo he saw of an 18th-century billiards room. It took ten men to cut, pleat, and hang the 350 yards of fabric. The pool table was one of the first items that Elvis bought when he returned home from the army in 1960. There are two large stained glass lamps over the pool table in addition to corduroy-covered chairs, two couches in the same fabric that is on the walls, and many posters lining the walls. The Asian-style campaign trunk contains shuffleboard wax that has baffled archivists to this day because there is no record of shuffleboard ever being in this room. According to archivist Angie Marchese, Lisa Marie has always said that a lot of “mayhem” went on in this room!
Elvis’s Favorite Room @ Graceland
The Jungle Room which Elvis referred to as the “den” was his favorite hangout. This Polynesian Tiki-styled room is decorated in ornately carved chairs, thrones, and couches hand-picked by Elvis from Donald’s Furniture Store which was down the road. To add to the tiki vibe the walls have wood paneling with one wall made of stone where there is a cascading water feature that tumbles over the stonework. The mossy green shag carpeting on the floor and ceiling make this room a perfect man cave. Originally, the Jungle Room was part of an outdoor patio that was incorporated into the house in the 1960s.
Why Is the Upstairs Off Limits?
Only Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Graceland’s Curator are allowed to go upstairs. It was here, in his bathroom that Elvis’s body was found. The house opened to the public in 1982, and the second floor was sealed off out of respect for the family and to avoid any macabre attention at the scene of his death. The upstairs is so private that no tours, no TV specials, or photos have been released to the public. Lisa Marie has kept the rooms the same as the day he died in 1977 and considers it a private sanctuary. When alive, the upper floor was restricted and could only be accessed by an invitation from Elvis.
Who Was the Last Person to Live @ Graceland?
Elvis was well known for his generosity. He invited his widowed Aunt Delta, the sister of his father Vernon to live at Graceland in 1966. Aunt Delta was charged with taking care of Lisa Marie when she wasn’t with her mother. Elvis died suddenly in 1977, and his father died in 1979. Outliving her grandson and son, Minnie Mae passed away in 1980. When Graceland was opened to the public in 1982 for tours, Aunt Delta continued to live at the mansion until her death in 1993.
Why is Elvis Buried @ Graceland?
Just days after his death, on August 16, 1977, Elvis was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, next to his mother, Gladys with more than 80,000 people lining the street. Unfortunately, grave robbers tried to get into his 900-pound copper coffin in his mausoleum but failed. On October 3, 1977, the family moved Elvis and his mother’s coffins to Graceland forming a meditation garden near the pool. Two years after Elvis died, his father Vernon was buried next to his son, wife, and Elvis’s grandmother, Minnie Mae. In 2020, Elvis Presley’s look-a-like grandson, Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide was laid to rest at Graceland alongside his famous grandfather.
Still A Family Home
Lisa Marie is the sole owner of Graceland Mansion and of her father’s personal effects including his cars, costumes, awards, furniture, and airplanes. When Lisa Marie is in town, the family comes to visit the house but they don’t stay there. According to Angie Marchese, archivist for Graceland, they don’t use Elvis and Pricilla’s china when they dine at the mansion. Special china bought for Lisa Marie to use is stored in a chest of drawers in Aunt Delta’s bedroom which is located behind the kitchen, and off-limits on the tour. All the appliances in the kitchen still work and when Lisa Marie is dining at Graceland, everything is turned on making this house a family home once again.
The legacy of Elvis continues to grow with old and newly converted fans alike. Although Lisa Marie sold 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises to the Authentic Brands Group, she and her mother, Priscilla remain active in its management. Today, the ABG has created restaurants, shops, a theater, live concerts, museums, and even a hotel designed by Priscilla Presley on the expanded property. ABG also retains all licensing and merchandising of Presley’s name, image, and likeness. Lisa Marie is the sole owner of the mansion and of her father’s personal effects which she has vowed never to sell and to pass down to her children.
My final takeaway from my visit to Graceland is that it presents Elvis not as a rock star but as an American Cultural Icon. I think that the story that Graceland tells will be inspirational for many generations and something that will always be treasured in our shared heritage of rock and roll. After all, Elvis is America’s King of Rock and Roll. My advice is to go there for a visit, no matter what age or generation you are, it is a powerful story of a man that came from nothing, had a lot of drive and talent, and a man that will always be part of American pop culture.