Introduction:
Tucked away in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, Graceland stands not only as a monument to one of music’s most iconic figures, but also as a sacred space of personal history, mystery, and reverence. Every year, nearly half a million fans walk the same halls Elvis Presley once did, making Graceland the second-most visited private residence in the United States, just behind the White House. Yet, for all its accessibility, one part of this legendary estate has remained completely off-limits: the second floor.
Even presidents and dignitaries have been turned away from this upper level — a space that once served as Presley’s private refuge. The reason? Respect. During his lifetime, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll treated the upstairs of Graceland as his sanctuary, a quiet retreat from the frenzy of fame. It was where he slept, relaxed, and found rare solitude. Since his untimely passing in 1977 — in the very bathroom located off his master suite — that area has been sealed, preserved exactly as it was in his final hours.
Graceland’s history stretches back far beyond Presley’s stardom. The estate was originally built in 1939 and named after Grace Toof, a relative of the S.E. Toof family, who once owned the surrounding 500 acres. Before it became Presley’s kingdom, the mansion belonged to Dr. Thomas Moore and his wife Ruth, whose daughter played harp for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra — giving Graceland a musical legacy long before Elvis ever walked through its doors.
Elvis purchased the 14-acre property in 1957 for $102,000, shortly after achieving breakout success on television and with record sales. He was preparing for a film career and looking for a home that could accommodate both his rising fame and his expanding circle of family and friends. Over time, he extended the original 10,000-square-foot mansion into a 17,000-square-foot estate, hosting countless visitors and building the famous “Jungle Room” along the way.
More than just a home, Graceland became a final resting place. After a series of vandalism attempts at Elvis’s original burial site, his father, Vernon Presley, had both Elvis and his mother Gladys reinterred at Graceland. Vernon himself, Minnie Mae Presley (Elvis’s grandmother), and now Lisa Marie Presley and her son Benjamin Keough also rest on the grounds. A small monument even honors Elvis’s twin brother, Jessie, who was stillborn.
But no matter how many tributes or tours Graceland offers, the upstairs remains shrouded in respectful silence. Only a select few — including Elvis’s ex-wife Priscilla, his daughter Lisa Marie, the estate’s curator, and famously, actor Nicolas Cage during his marriage to Lisa Marie — have ever been allowed past the staircase.
To this day, Graceland remains one of America’s most treasured cultural landmarks — not just for its grandeur or artifacts, but for the untouched privacy that echoes the humanity of the man behind the legend.