Graceland Memphis Tennessee is a large white-columned mansion and 13.8-acre (5.6 ha) estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles (14.5 km) from Downtown and less than four miles (6 km) north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as a museum. It was opened to the public on June 7, 1982. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1991 and declared a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006. Graceland Memphis Tennessee has become one of the most-visited private homes in America with over 600,000 visitors a year, behind the White House and Biltmore Estate (900,000 visitors per year).
Elvis Presley died at the estate on August 16, 1977. Presley, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Garden. A memorial gravestone for Presley’s twin brother, Jesse Garon, is also at the site.
History of Graceland Memphis Tennessee
Graceland Memphis Tennessee started out in the possession of Dr. Thomas D. Moore and Ruth Brown Moore, who built their two-story home on the grounds. The land had been in Ruth Moore’s family for close to a century. In March 1957, Presley purchased the property from the Moores and began building his own mansion. Most of the buildings on the property were completed during Presley’s ownership, but a few additional ones have been added to accommodate tourists, according to the National Park Service.
The Music Gates
When Elvis Presley purchased Graceland, the music gates were not a part of the property. Designed for Elvis by Abe Saucer and custom-built by John Dillars, Jr., of Memphis Doors, Inc., the custom music gates were delivered and installed on April 22, 1957.When Elvis purchased Graceland Memphis Tennessee in 1957, Highway 51 South and the area known as Whitehaven were ‘out in the country’. By the 1970s, shopping centers, housing developments and apartment complexes had sprung up in the area only 12 miles south of downtown Memphis.
Location
Graceland Memphis Tennessee is located outside of Memphis, Tennessee, about 10 miles south of the city’s downtown area. The street address is 3734 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38116. The section of road the home is located on was formerly named Highway 51 South but was renamed in 1971 in Presley’s honor. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Graceland Memphis Tennessee is a Awesome Place For Vacations.
Public Visits
When Elvis Presley died in 1977, he left Graceland Memphis Tennessee to his grandmother, father and daughter. By 1980, his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was the only remaining beneficiary. With the expenses of maintenance and property taxes growing, a plan was created to open Graceland to the pubic, and on June 7, 1982, the first tours of the property began. Elvis Presley Enterprises began purchasing the surrounding land in 1983 and incorporating it into the estate.
Significance
Graceland Memphis Tennessee transformed the tourism industry in Memphis. Since it opened to the public, millions have traveled to Graceland Memphis Tennessee from around the country and around the world to see the home of Elvis Presley. In 1991, Graceland was added to the National Register of Historic Places tourist place in world. Elvis Presley Enterprises reports that about 600,000 people visit Graceland per year, as of 2010.