How Elvis Presley’s Graceland Kept Him From Moving to California

It’s hard to think Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home might not be the iconic historical spot it remains today if his father, Vernon Presley, had his say. The Presley family might have settled in California rather than Memphis if the stately home hadn’t appeared on the market at the right time.

Elvis Presley’s home base could have been in California

According to a story published by The Dispatch, Elvis Presley’s father, Vernon Presley, would have liked to settle in California. Elvis worked so much in the Sunshine State that putting permanent roots down there made sense.

The Presley family lived on Audubon Drive in Memphis, but fans regularly besieged the home. The family needed privacy. Vernon reportedly was eyeing a move to the West Coast, as author Peter Guralnick wrote in the biography Last Train to Memphis.

However, a chance meeting changed all that. Virginia Grant, a local realtor, was reportedly walking out of a Memphis department store when she saw Gladys Presley’s pink Cadillac in its parking lot in February 1957. Gladys was seated in the passenger seat and Grant said if the family was looking for a new home, perhaps she could help them.

Grant first showed Gladys and Vernon a ranch-style abode. However, the Presley matriarch asked if any colonial-style homes were on the market. The couple was shown Graceland, and both fell in love with the 14-acre estate.

Did Elvis Presley ever live in California?

Elvis Presley lived in California at different addresses throughout his professional career. He rented a home for one year at 1350 Ladera Circle from 1966 through 1967. It was there he honeymooned with his wife, Priscilla Presley, per Architectural Digest.

Elvis also rented a home at 525 Perugia Way. He lived there when he first met The Beatles. However, that house was demolished in the 1980s.

The king lived in a mansion at 10539 Bellagio Road in Bel Air. In 1967, he purchased a Beverly Hills home for $400,000.

Elvis owned a home at 14 Montvale Drive, Beverly Hills, California in 1970, and another abode in Palm Springs. The latter was, formerly owned by McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc.

Although he lived in many California homes, Elvis always called Memphis and Graceland, home.

When did Elvis Presley first move into Graceland?

Vernon and Gladys Presley put a $1,000 down payment on Graceland on March 16, 1957 and Elvis Presley ultimately paid over $100K for the home and its property. Elvis Presley was filming the motion picture Loving You, followed by Jailhouse Rock, in California when Gladys and Vernon and Elvis’ grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, officially moved into Graceland on May 16, 1957.

Per the official Graceland website, Elvis didn’t move into Graceland until five weeks later, on June 26, 1957. He quickly began redecorating the home to suit his tastes. The interior of the mansion was changed many times in the 20 years Elvis lived there.

Elvis initially wished to have a black bedroom suite and a night sky painted onto the ceiling of the entrance hall. Gladys vetoed the second choice, reported Architectural Digest.

Elvis considered Graceland a place where he could recharge after being on the road. The large house was always filled with family and close friends, which made it a home.

The historic home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.