Graceland could get a new events center

The rapid expansion of Graceland, Elvis Presley's Memphis home, could continue with the construction of a new events center on the campus in early 2019, Elvis Presley Enterprises officials said Tuesday.

The management company is seeking additional public funding to build a 6,000- to 7,000-seat theater on the north side of the property at a cost of $40 million to $50 million, EPE attorney Jay Campbell Jr. told City Council members Tuesday. The theater would "easily" book 50 events a year and create about 150 new jobs, mostly for residents of Whitehaven.

The events center would fill the city's need for a mid-sized theater smaller than the FedExForum but bigger than the Orpheum — a void that many people wanted a redeveloped Mid-South Coliseum to fill. The theater, because it's on private property, wouldn't violate the city's FedExForum noncompete clause, Graceland officials said.

"We see it as a great opportunity to serve, to fill what we see as a gap in Memphis entertainment venues," said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. (EPE).

The vast majority of Graceland's visitors are from out of town, but Soden said he hopes an events center — which could host community events — will bring in Memphians.

Roy Barnes, who heads the preservation advocates at the Coliseum Coalition, said a Graceland theater would make some people's vision