July 13th, 2011 
John Bruiser 
No visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland Mansion. You do not have to be n fan of the king of rock and roll to enjoy the unique historical significance of his home and the surrounding estate. The house as originally built as a private residence and as the center of a vast estate known as Graceland farms.
Graceland Farms was originally owned by S.C. Toof, founder of S.C. Toof & Co., a commercial printing firm in Memphis, who was previously the pressroom foreman of the Memphis newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal. The grounds were named after Toof’s daughter, Grace, who inherited the farm. Soon after, the portion of the land designated as Graceland today was given to her nephews and niece. It was Grace Toof’s niece, Ruth Moore, who, in 1939 together with her husband Dr. Thomas Moore, built the present American “colonial” style mansion.
The mansion was purchased by Elvis in 1957 and immediately began to turn it into his own Kings Castle. Presley carried out extensive modifications to suit his needs and tastes, including: a fieldstone wall surrounding the grounds, a wrought-iron music-themed gate, a swimming pool, a racquetball court, and the famous “Jungle Room” which features an indoor waterfall, among other modifications. In February and October 1976, the Jungle Room was converted into a recording studio, where Presley recorded the bulk of his final two albums, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue; these were his final known recordings in a studio setting.
One of Presley’s better known modifications was the addition of the Meditation Garden, where he, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and grandmother are buried. A small stone memorializes Elvis’ twin brother Jesse Garon who died at birth. The Meditation Garden was opened to the public in 1978. Graceland was officially opened to the public on June 7, 1982.
Graceland grew from 10,266 square feet when originally bought by Presley to 17,552 square feet today. Managers of the complex have undertaken a major renovation project that will include a new visitor’s center, a 500-room convention hotel and high-tech museum displays. The current visitor’s center, souvenir shops, the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, and museums will be torn down and replaced with the new facilities. The project will take approximately 3 years to complete.
One of the most popular things to do while in Memphis is to have ones picture taken standing in front of the custom designed wrought iron gates to the estate. The gates are music themed and in the shape of a songbook. There is no charge for getting your picture taken in front of the gates.
The estate is located at 3767 Elvis Presley Boulevard. The estate and mansion is open daily from 10am to 4pm. Hours do vary from season to season so it’s a good idea to check the Graceland website before visiting. The estate does also close occasionally for maintenance and private parties and weddings so call before you arrive. Tickets start at $14 for a basic your of the mansion and estate and which takes about an hour and a half to complete, and $70 for full tour package of the entire Elvis experience which lasts all day.
Top incoming search terms:
Related posts:
Posted in 
Tags: 
