Inside Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion with bizarre ‘Jungle Room’ and iconic entrance gate
ELVIS Presley’s glamorous Graceland estate features a bizarre ‘Jungle Room’, iconic musical score gates and was once home to an eccentric collection of wild animals.
The King of Rock and Roll lived in the breath-taking mansion from 1957 until his death in 1977.
Located just off the famous highway that was renamed Elvis Presley Boulevard in 1971, the two-storey property is now a museum dedicated to the superstar.
The stunning mansion, built in 1939, has eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, pool room, dining room, trophy room as well as the iconic Jungle Room.
The legendary singer bought the estate for around £85,000 when he was just 22 years old.
According to the Graceland tour website, 23 of the rooms are off limits to the public, including the entire second floor which has been preserved exactly as Elvis left it when he died aged 42.
The bizarre Jungle Room holds exotic Polynesian-inspired furniture which once reminded the singer of his favourite holiday spot – Hawaii.
A waterfall was also installed in this fascinating room, along with plants and green shag carpets on the floor and ceiling resembling grass.
It eventually became a makeshift recording studio where he recorded some of the songs on his album From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee.
The Hound Dog singer also had a majestic table in his dining room which included a button where he and his friends could ring the kitchen if they needed more food.
His kitchen was known to always be stocked with very particular items ranging from fudge cookies to shredded coconut.
It has also been documented that Graceland’s weekly grocery bill totalled around £415 when the King was on the throne.
One of Graceland estate’s most iconic features, however, are the entrance gates.
They were designed to resemble a musical score, and on either side are wired depictions of Elvis playing the guitar.
According to the Graceland museum, the star had paid around £1,110 for the gates to be installed after he purchased the mansion.
Fans would swarm around the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of the rockstar, and occasionally he would sign autographs through the gaps in the gate.
The brick wall that surrounds the estate is also a popular spot for Elvis fans who have been known to cover it in loving messages.
The rock and roll icon owned plenty of animals during his time at Graceland and the estate eventually became home to dogs, chickens, ducks, hogs, horses, donkeys, a turkey named Bowtie, a chimpanzee named Scatter and a squirrel monkey named Bambi.
Elvis reportedly wanted to turn Graceland into a zoo following his love of animals.
Graceland mansion is also home to jaw dropping peacock design stained-glass windows, a custom made 15-foot sofa, a kidney-shaped swimming pool, and a TV room with three television sets inspired by US President Lyndon Johnson.
Elvis’ racquetball room in the grand house was transformed into an additional trophy room, showcasing his famous glitzy jumpsuits and awards but in 2017 was restored to its original form.
The Graceland estate also houses two of the singer’s aeroplanes – Hound Dog I and Hound Dog II which are also available to tour.
The museum said it has hosted over 20 million visitors from across the world as fans pour in through the gates to pay their respects to their idol.
Elvis and his parents were also laid to rest on the estates grounds, and during Elvis Week, August 9 to August 17, fans from across the globe flock to the site to leave flowers at his grave.
This follows Elvis’ abandoned private jet that just sold for £216,000 last month in Florida after being left to rust in the New Mexico desert for forty years.
And, the singer’s tiny childhood home was put up for sale in 2020 for just £25,000.