Thursday - April 23, 2024 Graceland And Home (Daily Diary Synopsis)
Graceland Farms was originally owned by Stephen C. Toof, founder of S.C. Toof & Co., the oldest commercial printing firm in Memphis. He worked previously as the pressroom foreman of the Memphis newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal. The site (before the mansion was built in 1939) was named after Toof's daughter, Grace. She inherited the property from her father in 1894.
After her death, the property passed to her niece Ruth Moore, a Memphis socialite. Together with her husband, Thomas Moore, Ruth Moore commissioned construction of a 10,266-square-foot (953.7 m2) Colonial Revival style mansion in 1939. The house was designed by architects Furbringer and Ehrman.
In early 1957, Presley gave his parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, a budget of $100,000 and asked them to find a "farmhouse"-like property to purchase, with buffer space around it. At the time, Graceland was located in southern Shelby County, several miles south of Memphis's main urban area. In later years, Memphis expanded with residential developments, resulting in Graceland being surrounded by other properties. Presley purchased Graceland on March 19, 1957, for a price of $102,500.
We are happy to be here!
We were first in!
The diner was 1950s for sure.
Elvis loved his motorcycles.
Elvis had a small farm and this was his tractor which he used.
Elvis bought over 250 cars in his lifetime.
He could have filled a warehouse with his cars. A few are on display today.
Dang, no wonder he liked it.
The famous Pink Cadillac.
Did You Know? - In early 1955, Elvis bought his first Cadillac, a 1954 Fleetwood Series 60, which was the color pink. The car provided transport for Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys, but after the failure of a brake lining, was destroyed in a roadside fire between Hope and Texarkana, Arkansas, on June 5, 1955.
On July 5, 1955, Elvis purchased a new Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 in blue with a black roof. Having mentioned a Pink Cadillac in the song "Baby, Let's Play House", the first song recorded by Elvis to appear on a national chart which made #5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in July 1955; Elvis had the car repainted by Art, a neighbor on Lamar Street.
Art designed a customized pink color for Elvis which he named "Elvis Rose," but the car kept its black roof. Once the car was finished Elvis gave it to his mother Gladys as a gift. Mrs. Gladys Presley never had a driver's license, and Elvis drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955–1956.
The Pink Cadillac displayed in March 2012
On September 2, 1955, Scotty Moore drove the car into a vehicle which was passing a pick-up truck in Texarkana, Texas, causing $1000 of damage.
Having signed his contract with RCA in November 1955, in March 1956 Elvis had the upholstery replaced, the body retouched and roof painted white. (As can be seen in the book "A Boy from Tupelo", from FTD/2012, in 1955 the Cadillac already has the white roof).
On his return from military service in Germany in 1960, Presley lent the car to his US Army buddy Joe Esposito, having bought himself a white with pink roofed 1961 Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
The original pink Cadillac remains on permanent display at Graceland, formerly under a carport for many years, and now resident in the auto museum. The car was once again brought to the front drive entrance of Graceland in June 2006, during the visit of President George W. Bush and Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi.
Paul remembers these cars in the 1950s.
It was a beauty.
Luxury indeed!
Vanna show the car.
Mary might need one of these!
The grounds were kept up beautifully.
We had a short wait because we selected the UVIP tour.
(Ultimate VIP Tour)
The living room had mirrors everywhere to make it look big!
The home was 11,000 square feet when he bought it.
Mirror and more mirrors.
Ask Mary about the stairway and why the mirrors on the wall.
Mary could be a docent for sure.
Aunt Delta's bedroom
No one was allowed upstairs as the house is still a residence of the Presley family.
The dining room was a special place as Elvis enjoyed family meals.
It gets decorated for Christmas.
Our docent reveals the secrets.
The kitchen was surprisingly small but it was staffed 24/7 for the King and his groupies.
They could serve a lot of folks from this kitchen.
The animal room was amazing. Carpets on the ceiling to lower the noise.
The stairway allowed Elvis to come down into the room without going through the main entrance way.
The original electrical panels were still operational.
Love those ceiling.
As you go downstairs you find this large Media room with couches and cushions everywhere. Everything in the room including the walls is either Black or Yellow. As you enter this room you go by the bar area which is also Black and Yellow.
The three TV's are for the three major networks (in the 1950s)
Elvis did not drink so it was stocked with Dr. Pepper
Elvis was a night owl by nature.
Mirrors on the ceiling made the room look larger that it really was.
One room in Graceland that was an amazing novelty – the basement Billiards Room. It is completely lined with pleated fabric in an elaborate print. The pleats telescope to the ceiling's center, where the raw edges are covered by a fabric-covered medallian. Ever since I saw it, I wondered what inspired Elvis, and how this one-of-a-kind room decor came to be.
Elvis purchased the 100-percent cotton material at a local store which specialized in custom furniture. It took three men 10 days to cut, pleat and hang the nearly 350 yards of fabric. It is hung by tension rods along the walls and stapled in various places to the ceiling. There was enough left to upholster the room's two sofas.
The room was dead quiet.
Lots of noise was generated here.
Time to depressurize from his travels.
Air conditioners everywhere.
Checkout the slide.
It was in line with the rifle range... other arrangements we soon made!
Vernon, Elvis' dad, had an office with two secretaries to take care of Elvis' private business.
From the shack to the mansion; what a difference. The shack cost was $250.
The actual house today!
The new gun range was a lot safer.
The backside of Graceland looked pretty normal.
The family tree was is a predominate location.
It got cold some winters.
Priscilla was (and is) a beauty.
His only portrait.
He loved his mother! Elvis was a family person.
Elvis made sure his family was taken care of.
Elvis liked riding horses and was quite accomplished. He had three horses on property.
The pool was always ready for Elvis and family.
It was quite a facility and cost twice the price on the original house.
Time to exercise and rest between trips.
Wow!
The horses live a great life.
The burial plots are recent.
They must have been nice people!
You will be remembered forever.
A quick snapshot and we are off!
We could live here.
The headphone allowed us to hear OUR docent.
We took a bus to the back of the property to the "Media Room"
Mary got to feel one of his heavy costumes.
The wall is a special wallpaper they had designed.
Amen!
Just a few!
All leather and HOT!
The contract for Elvis to go to Las Vegas written on a table cloth!
He did have some serious jewelry.
His mother way part Jewish!
He hand a hundred costumes, some are on display here.
These suckers we heavy! Upwards of fifty pounds!
Mary thought I could fit into this one.... FAT chance!
Pretty amazing, how did he decide which one to wear?
I need this for Halloween!
Maybe this one?
We were three hours early so we found a restaurant and dined and had a drink (or two).
Photo bombed!
Robin picked us up at the airport; it was a beautiful night and we were happy to be home!
