Former home of Elvis Presley now a museum of memories

Press, 20 February 1985, Page 39

Former home of Elvis Presley now a museum of memories

More than seven years after the premature death of the legendary King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, his memory lives on in the hearts of his loyal fans and in a shrine at his former Graceland home.

Graceland, a large, colonnaded building on a hill-top in a 14-acre wooded area 20 minutes from downtown Memphis, Tennessee, was acquired by Elvis in 1959 for about $lOO,OOO ($NZ220,000). Here, far removed from the Hollywood jet set, he made his home, a refuge from the outside world and from the pressures of performing.

The mansion has since been turned into a museum where fans from around the world can relive the Elvis magic. Apart from

containing the most precious mementos from his life, Graceland also contains his grave.

Graceland is now in trust for Elvis’s daughter, Lisa Marie. It is intended to give a more personal insight into the “King,” showing how he lived and how he spent his free time.

One of the rooms on show is his music room, where Presley would play informally to friends on a 24 carat gold leaf grand piano. Elvis liked to sing Gospel songs in this room. He said that it was a way of relaxing.

Other highlights are a mirrored staircase to a room containing a row of three television sets, a bar, pool table and old organ, and the Trophy Room where Elvis’s gold discs are displayed with several Grammy Awards and a ceramic hound dog. Presley’s favourite room was his den, otherwise known as the “Jungle Room” because of its African-style furniture. Elvis had breakfast here most mornings while watching television on a large screen. In the carport at the back of the house are his prized cars. The pink Fleetwood Cadillac used in the film, “Fun in Acapulco,” the two Stutz Blackhawks, a 1967 black Dino Ferrari, and a collection of motor-cycles. Elvis loved anything on wheels. For the most devout of Presley fans, there are the Meditation Gardens, where repose is found. The gardens contain the graves of Elvis, his parents, and of his grandmother. Bounded by tall columns and stained glass windows, the grave is adorned daily with the floral tributes of mourners.

Although Elvis died seven years ago and was rarely seen on stage during the latter years of his life, memories of the entertainer live on at Graceland. In the words of the inscription written on Elvis’s tomb by his father: “He had a God-given talent that he shared with the world, capturing the hearts of young and old alike ... We miss you ...”

— From Camera Press, London Pictures by Ray Hamilton