Graceland

GRACELAND MANSION
3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee, 38116
Original address was:
3764 Highway 51 South, Memphis, Tennessee
Telephone: EX 7-4427
(one of Elvis' unlisted numbers at the time.)

The Purchase
Elvis purchased his beloved Graceland Mansion in March of 1957 for $100,000. which beat out a prior bid of just $35,000 by the Memphis YMCA. The Presley's moved into Graceland in early May of 1957.

The Property
The Mansion rests upon 13 and 3/4 acres of land. It was originally constructed of tan
Tennessee limestone and originally contained twenty-three rooms, including five bedrooms. Elvis had the mansion painted blue and gold, which glowed at night. The front room featured a white marble fireplace and Louis XIV furniture. Elvis added several rooms, including a trophy room. The trophy room, a forty-foot-long room built over the back patio, began as a play room where Elvis and the boys raced slot cars.

At the time of Elvis' death in 1977, there were sixteen TV sets scattered around Graceland! On the grounds, Elvis built a barn and a racquetball court. The wall surrounding the estate was constructed in 1957 of Alabama fieldstone.

Elvis added on a $200,000 private recording studio at Graceland. A portable mobile recording studio was brought to Graceland by RCA on two occasions in 1976.

After Elvis' death, Graceland was valued at $500.000, but its annual upkeep was running a reported $500,000, with a $12,000 yearly utility bill! Rather than sell the estate, Priscilla, acting for Lisa Marie, decided to open it to the public, charging $5 a visitor. The doors were first open to the public on June 7, 1982, in a ceremony.

UPSTAIRS AT GRACELAND
by my dear friend...Mary McLaughlin
Hi all,
I know many of you have been to Graceland, or at least you have seen photos of the rooms. but since upstairs is off limits, I think you might enjoy a mental stroll thru there. Enjoy !

As you walk up the front staircase you see before you two black padded doors. After entering, you are in Elvis' office or study. It is tan in color and in there is an upright piano. On the back wall there is a light brown couch built into the wall though at one time a tan leather sofa with a matching chair was there instead . To the left of this was Elvis' desk which had a console tv on it that he had received as a gift from RCA. There is also a little refrigerator in the room.

To the left was a bathroom that was used only by whatever girlfriend of his was staying there at the time. It was originally Priscilla's. To the right was Elvis' bedroom, which is approximately 20x30 feet . The ceiling in there was jade green padded naugahyde with two televisions sunk flat in there so when he was lying in bed he could look straight up and watch tv. He also had another tv mounted at an angle up in the ceiling. The walls were all tufted red velvet except the wall toward the foot of his bed which was smoked mirrors. At the top of the walls were black velvet borders around them. The bed was custom built with a black naugahyde headboard and it had armrests that came out of it so he could sit up in bed.
Two huge round imitation fur lounge chairs sat in each corner of the room. There was a nightstand next to the door which you see as soon as you walk into the room. The
air conditioner was going all the time because Elvis liked it to be extremely cold in his bedroom.

There was a little hallway that leads to the bathroom which has two closets, one on each side. The bathroom is 10x12 feet .To the right of the doorway is a 12 foot long marble counter with a purple sink built into it. There is a dressing (makeup) mirror in back of the counter with oversized lights. Most of it was done in black and gold tiles. He also had a television in the bathroom because Elvis liked to have a TV in every room. There was a big barbers chair with a light attached to it so he could sit and read when someone was fixing his hair for him. The shower, to the left in the corner of the room had a circular curved wall and it is about 7 feet in
diameter done in black, brown and white tiles. On the other side of the bathroom was Dodgers room. Elvis later had the wall broken down, to make it a combination bathroom/dressing area and wardrobe room where he kept all of his clothes. This room is bigger than the bathroom. He also had an exer-cycle in there that he sometimes used.

Across the hall is Lisa Marie's room that had at one time been a conference room but was converted to a bedroom. In there was a black leather upholstered sofa, a wing chair, a table and a TV, also lamps of yellow ceramic Chinese design.
The focal point was the massive canopied bed all upholstered in white simulated fur that resembled a hamburger, thus the name given to it. Perhaps someday they will find a way to have these rooms as part of the tour though it is not likely to happen soon.
Well I hope you have enjoyed your stroll upstairs.

Thank you for letting me share with you.
Mary

PREVIOUS ADDRESSES FOR ELVIS
TUPELO ADDRESSES

306 Old Saltillo Road, East Tupelo, MS
The tiny home that Vernon Presley built with $180 in materials. It was Elvis' birthplace.

510 1/2 Maple Street, East Tupelo, MS
Rented house, November 1940.

Pascagoula, MS
From May to June of 1943 Vernon took work in the ship yards on of Mississippi Gulf coast. The family was so homesick they soon moved back to Tupelo.

Berry Street, East Tupelo, MS
The Presley family bought this 4-room house on August 18, 1945 for $2,000, putting $200 down 
and making payments of $30 month plus 6% interest.

Commerce Street, Tupelo, MS
They moved to this address July 18, 1946. They had no longer been able to make the payments 
on their home on Berry Street and had been forced to sell it.

Mulberry Alley, Tupelo, MS
This home was near the fairgrounds in an area known as Shake Rag.

1010 North Green Street, Tupelo, MS
Documents show this address in September 1947.

MEMPHIS ADDRESSES FOR ELVIS and MORE!
370 Washington Street, Memphis, TN
Elvis' first home in Memphis was this rooming house where they paid $11 a week to live.

572 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN
May 14, 1949 - Around this date they move to another rooming house. The rent was $9.50 a week.

185 Winchester Street, Apt. # 185, Memphis, TN
Sept. 20, 1949 Elvis and his family were accepted into this Memphis Housing Authority property called Lauderdale Courts. This two-bedroom apartment cost them $35 a month. In February 1952 they were allowed to sign a new lease with the rent raised to $43 a month. By Nov. 17, 1952 they were evicted because 
they made too much moneyto live in assisted housing. The combined family income was $4,133.

698 Saffarans Street, Memphis, TN
Records show the family was living here during January 1953.

462 Alabama, Memphis, TN
By March 1953 the family was living in an apartment in this home for $50 a month.

2414 Lamar Ave., Memphis, TN
In 1955 the family lived here.

1414 Getwell, Memphis, TN
In September 1955 this was their address and they paid $85 a month in rent.

1034 Audubon Drive, Memphis, TN
March 12, 1956 Elvis was making enough money to purchase this home for his family for $29,500
from the Welsh Plywood Corporation.

3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN
On March 25, 1957 Elvis purchased his beloved Graceland for $102,500 from
Mrs. Ruth Brown Moore. This was his permanent home until he died here on August 16, 1977.

Additional homes during the Graceland years:

906 Oak Hill Drive, Killeen, TX
Home Elvis rented in 1958 during basic training at Ft. Hood, Texas.

Goethestrasse 14, Bad Nauheim, West Germany
Home Elvis rented in 1959/60 while serving in the US Army in Germany.

525 Perugia Way, Bel Air, CA
Elvis rented this home twice. September 1960 to November 1961 and January 1963 - 1965.

10539 Bellagio Rd., Bel Air, CA
Elvis rented this home from November 1961 to January 1963.

10550 Rocco Place, Bel Air, CA
Elvis rented this home in February 1966.

1174 Hillcrest Ave., Beverly Hills, CA
Elvis and Priscilla bought this home in November 1967 for $400,000.

144 Monovale, Holmby Hills, CA
Elvis and Priscilla bought this larger home in December 1970 for $339,000.

1350 Leadera Circle, Palm Springs, CA
Elvis leased this home on September 21, 1966

Camino del Norte, Palm Springs, CA
Elvis and Priscilla rented this home in April 1968 while looking for one to buy.

845 Chino Canyon Rd., Palm Springs, CA
Elvis and Priscilla bought this home in April 1970 paying $13,187.83 down and signing a mortgage for $85,000.