Graceland

About Elvis:

The incredible Elvis Presley life story began when Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.

His influenced music:

Elvis’s musical influences were the pop and country music of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and at the all-night gospel sings he frequently attended, and the black R&B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager.

The beginning of his career:

In 1954, Elvis began his singing career with the legendary Sun Records label (in Memphis). In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international singer. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole dissimilar era of American music and popular culture. 

Elvis Presley’s facts:

Here are a few Elvis Presley facts: he starred in 33 successful films, made history with his television appearances and specials, and knew great acclaim through his many, often record-breaking, live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas. Globally, he has sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. His American sales have earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum awards. Among his many achievements, he got 14 Grammy nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at age 36, and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. Without any of the special privileges, his celebrity status might have afforded him, Elvis honorably served his country in the U.S. Army.

His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions, as did the humility and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the world over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth-century popular culture. Elvis died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977. He was 42.

Graceland after Elvis Presley’s died:

Elvis Presley died at Graceland on August 16, 1977. His will appointed his father, Vernon Presley, who had long handled Elvis’ personal, non-career business affairs, as executor and trustee. The beneficiaries were Elvis’ grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley; his father, Vernon Presley; and his only child, Lisa Marie Presley. The will provide that Vernon Presley could, at his discretion, give funds to other family members as needed. Vernon Presley died in 1979. Minnie Mae Presley died in 1980. This left Lisa Marie Presley as the sole heir to the estate. Elvis’ will state that her inheritance was to be held in trust for her until her twenty-fifth birthday, February 1, 1993.

 Vernon Presley’s (Elvis Presley’s father) management: 

Vernon Presley’s will brought about the appointment of three co-executors/co-trustees to succeed him. They were: the National Bank of Commerce in Memphis, which was the bank Elvis and Vernon had done business with; Joseph Hanks, who had been Elvis and Vernon’s accountant for several years; and Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, who had divorced Elvis in 1973, but had continued a close friendship with him and was Lisa’s legal guardian. Joseph Hanks retired from his post in 1990.

Upon Lisa Presley’s twenty-fifth birthday in 1993, the trust automatically dissolved and Lisa chose to form a new trust, The Elvis Presley Trust, to continue the successful management of the estate, with Priscilla Presley and the National Bank of Commerce continuing to serve as co-trustees.

Lisa Marie Presley’s (Elvis Presley’s daughter) management:

In 1998, as Lisa Marie Presley’s role in the management grew, Priscilla Presley chose to redirect her efforts by moving to an advisory position. She will continue her close involvement and support while focusing more time on her own ever-expanding individual pursuits as a successful actress and businessperson.

Lisa Marie Presley became more closely involved with the management team of The Elvis Presley Trust and its business entity, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.(EPE). She was the owner of them and Chairman of the Board until February 2005 when she sold a significant interest in the company.

Opening Graceland to the public: 

Elvis Presley could have left one of the great fortunes of entertainment history, had he been one to worry about financial planning, rather than freely enjoying and sharing his wealth as he did. While the estate he left was by no means broke, there was a cash flow problem, especially with Graceland costing over half a million dollars a year in maintenance and taxes.

It seemed logical for Priscilla and the executors to open Graceland to the public. In late 1981, they hired Jack Soden, at the time a Kansas City, Missouri investment counselor, to plan and execute the opening of Graceland to the public and oversee the total operation. Graceland opened for tours on June 7, 1982.

The evolution of Graceland:

In 1983, through a long-term lease, EPE acquired the shopping center plaza across the street from the mansion. From the time the plaza was built in the sixties, it had been a typical suburban strip shopping center. However, almost overnight after Elvis’ death, it became an unsightly blemish of tacky Elvis souvenir shops, which carried mostly bootleg items not licensed by the Presley Estate. Upon assuming management of the shopping center property, EPE began policing the bootleg activities and began an overall facelift, while continuing to honor the existing leases of the plaza tenants. By 1987, all the contracts had expired, and Graceland started to do major renovations, which continue to this day. In 1993, Graceland purchased the property. Today, all shops and attractions in what is now known as Graceland Plaza are owned and operated by EPE. The EPE already owned the land where Graceland visitor parking and the airplanes exhibit are located. (Elvis had purchased it in 1962 and had never developed it.)

Developing Graceland with adding planes and cars:

One significant development for the Graceland visitor experience was the addition of Elvis’ Lisa Marie jet and Hound Dog II JetStar planes, which Elvis’ father had sold in 1978. They were brought back home to Memphis in a joint venture with the current owners and opened for onboard tours in 1984. Another significant development was the opening of the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum in Graceland Plaza in 1989.

 Shopping Elvis related items:

Graceland Crossing, a neighboring shopping center with stores that featured Elvis-related items, situated just north of Graceland Plaza, was built in the latter half of the 1980s and was independently owned until Graceland purchased it in the fall of 1997 as an addition to its visitor amenities. The next significant development was the purchase of an existing nearby hotel property, renovating it, and renaming it Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel in 1999.

The Guest House in Graceland:

The Heartbreak Hotel was closed in 2016 to make way for The Guest House at Graceland, a 450-room resort hotel. The Guest House at Graceland, which has been awarded AAA’s prestigious Four-Diamond Rating, offers a range of contemporary facilities, including two restaurants, spaces for meetings and special events and a 464-seat theater for live performances and movies.

The Graceland Plaza and Graceland Crossing complexes closed in 2017, as Graceland’s new entertainment complex, Elvis Presley’s Memphis, opened. The $45 million, 200,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art entertainment complex features the world’s largest and most comprehensive Elvis museum in the world: Elvis The Entertainer Career Museum. It is also home to Presley Motors, the new automobile museum, as well as two restaurants, Discovery Exhibits and a Soundstage.

The importance of Graceland:

Since opening to the public in 1982, Graceland has hosted more than 20 million visitors from every state in the union and nearly every country of the world. Before Graceland’s opening, there was minimal tourism trade in Memphis. Graceland quickly became the cornerstone of the industry for the city and the region. The Memphis tourism industry has expanded dramatically with the development of attractions such as the FedEx Forum, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and with the continued growth and development of the Beale Street entertainment district, Memphis in May, and a host of other attractions, museums, and special events.

Graceland welcomes over 500,000 visitors each year, is one of the five most visited home tours in the United States, and is the most famous home in America after The White House. In 1991, Graceland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

When are people coming to Graceland?

The peak season for visitors to Graceland is Memorial Day through Labor Day. Attendance ranges from a few hundred visitors on a weekday in the dead of winter to 2,000 – 3,500 visitors per day in the spring and early summer, to over 4,000 per day in July at the height of the travel season. The total economic impact on the city of Memphis from Graceland visitors is estimated to be $150 million per year or possibly much more. A major part of that impact is that most Graceland visitors come from outside the city, bringing new dollars into the community, not only touring Graceland, but also patronizing other attractions in the area as well as: area hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses while they are in town. Further benefiting the city is the intense worldwide publicity that Graceland and the Elvis Presley phenomenon continually bring to Memphis. Contributing to the local impact is the fact that EPE employs approximately 350 people part-time and full-time year ’round, a number that swells to as many as 450 in the busy summer season.

Who is coming to Graceland?

Graceland visitors come from all walks of life, all ages, all musical tastes, all income levels, all educational backgrounds, and all parts of the world. The demographics are broad. Over half of Graceland’s visitors are under the age of 35. Graceland is a must-see for visiting dignitaries, touring Broadway show casts, touring rock stars, and people of virtually every description coming to Memphis.

What is EPE?

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is the corporate entity that was created by the Elvis Presley Trust to conduct business and manage its assets. EPE was wholly owned by the Elvis Presley Trust/Lisa Marie Presley until 2005.

What EPE managed?

EPE manages the operations of Graceland, its related properties, including AAA Four-Diamond The Guest House at Graceland, as well as the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours, and attractions worldwide. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. Lisa Marie Presley retains a 15% ownership in the company.

Lisa Marie Presley retains 100% sole personal ownership of Graceland Mansion itself and its over 13-acre original grounds and her father’s personal effects – meaning costumes, wardrobe, awards, furniture, cars, etc.. She has made the mansion property and her father’s personal results permanently available for tours of Graceland and use in all of EPE’s operations.

Who is managing EPE, and where are they based?

Jack Soden is the President and CEO of EPE and is based in the Memphis office. The vice-presidents, directors, managers support this top management team, and staff of the various departments of EPE, including marketing & media, sales, accounting, operations, human resources, and the multiple sub-departments within these.

All the facts you want to know about Graceland:

When did Elvis buy Graceland?

March 25, 1957

How much did Elvis pay for Graceland?

$102,500

How many acres of the farm did Elvis purchase?

13.8 acres around the house

How big was Graceland when Elvis bought it?

10,266 square feet

When did the Presley family move in?

May 16, 1957, his parents and grandmother moved in while Elvis continued to film “Jailhouse Rock.”

What was Elvis’ first night to stay in Graceland?

Elvis did not stay at Graceland until June 26, 1957.

Who got the idea for Elvis to buy Graceland?

His parents, Vernon and Gladys, saw it first and placed a $1,000 down payment on March 16, 1957.

Who built Graceland?

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Moore

When was Graceland built?

Construction began 1939

Who named it Graceland, and why?

Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Moore named it after Mrs. Moore’s Aunt Grace Toof, the original landowner.

What kind of doctor was Dr. Thomas Moore?

A professor of Urology at the University of Tennessee

Dr. and Mrs. Moore’s daughter Ruth played what instrument for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra?

The harp. The harp chair is named in her honor.

Was Graceland a church?

No, it was a cattle farm and raised Hereford cattle. Mrs. Moore allowed a church to use the grounds for picnics and gatherings after she moved out.

How big is Graceland mansion today?

There are 17,552 square feet.

How many staircases are in Graceland?

Five sets of stairs.

How many fireplaces are there in Graceland?

Three – two gas burning and one wood-burning

When were the famous music gates installed?

April 22, 1957

In June of 1957, Elvis had a swimming pool installed at Graceland, what is the shape of the pool?

Kidney

What is the current address of Graceland?

3764 Elvis Presley Blvd

Memphis, TN 38116

What was the original address?

3764 Highway 51 South

Memphis, TN

How many visitors come to Graceland yearly?

Over 600,000 visitors tour each year.

When was Graceland named to the American National Register of Historic Places?

1991

Why do I love this place?

When you are in Tennesse, make a stop to Graceland. It’s an iconic place, and it’s the home place of Elvis Presley!!!!

You will see his house (who was not so big as I thought ), the colors inside were very 1960. .But I love that he had a meditation garden (and a pool of course!!!).

His career was just fantastic (even if you are not a fan ), and he was involved in many organization trying to do the best around him. It is always interesting to learn more about the artist and the human being!!!

Even if his career was phenomenal, it’s interesting to see what he did to help his community, and it’s truthful!

Don’t forget to stop in Memphis and to enjoy the vibes. Have a good diner with some music in one of the many local restaurants!