Nearly four decades after Elvis Presley sang his last tune, a $45 million entertainment complex dedicated to his life and career has opened in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
Priscilla Presley, the late rock ‘n’ roll icon’s former wife, welcomed visitors to the new complex during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday.
The 200,000-square-foot complex is located across the street from Graceland, Presley’s longtime home-turned-museum. It is part of a $140 million Graceland expansion, which includes a $90 million, 450-room hotel that opened last year.
Thursday’s opening, which saw devoted fans line up to explore this new part of the Elvis-verse, came as Priscilla, 71, is caring for her two eight-year-old twin granddaughters, while the girl’s parents Lisa Marie and Michael Lockwood are embroiled in a bitter divorce battle.
‘You’re getting the full gamut of who Elvis Presley was,’ the late icon’s former wife 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.’
About 200 people streamed inside the ‘Elvis Presley’s Memphis’ complex Thursday after Priscilla cut a ribbon and allowed fans to see the complex for the first time.
The mammoth new complex features a comprehensive Presley exhibit, a showcase of cars he owned and used, a soundstage, two restaurants and retail stores.
It will replace the aging buildings that have for years housed exhibition dedicated to the King. An old, gray, strip-mall style visitor center will be torn down to make room for a greenspace along Elvis Presley Boulevard, the street that runs in front of the house.
The opening comes just before the 40th anniversary of Presley’s death on August 16, 1977, at age 42.
