Elvis Presley’s Graceland opens a new $45m complex

MEMPHIS, Tennessee: Nearly four decades after Elvis sang his last tune, his legacy got a $ 45 million boost with the recent opening of a major new attraction at his Graceland estate — an entertainment complex that Priscilla Presley says gives “the full gamut” of the King of Rock ‘ n’ Roll.

About 200 people streamed into “Elvis Presley’s Memphis” after the late singer’s wife cut a ribbon and allowed fans to see the $ 45 million complex for the first time.

Resembling an outdoor mall, the 200,000- square- foot campus sits across the street from Graceland, Presley’s longtime hometurned-museum. The complex features a comprehensive Presley exhibit with clothing he wore on stage and guitars he played; a showcase of the cars he owned and used; a soundstage; a theater; two restaurants and retail stores.

“You’re getting the full gamut of who Elvis Presley was,” Priscilla Presley said during an interview after the grand opening. “You’re getting to see and participate a bit in his life and what he enjoyed and what he loved to collect.”

It is part of a $ 140- million expansion, which also includes a $ 90 million, 450- room hotel that opened last year. The complex replaces the aging buildings that have housed Presley- related exhibits for years. An old, gray, strip- mall style visitor center will be torn down to make room for a green space along Elvis Presley Boulevard, the street that runs in front of the house.

Graceland has been updating its tourist experience. Visitors now use iPads for self- guided tours of the house. The new Guest House at Graceland, with modern amenities like glassencased showers with wall- mounted body sprays and Keurig coffee makers in room, has replaced the crumbling Heartbreak Hotel, which is scheduled for demolition.

“We want to keep updating ... If you don’t keep up with what’s going on in the times, you get left out,” Priscilla Presley said. She was joined at the ribbon- cutting by Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden and Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland Holdings.

The opening comes just before the 40th anniversary of Presley’s death on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42.