At just 21 years old, Elvis Presley bought his family a real home at 1034 Audubon Drive in Memphis. He paid about $29,500 for it in March 1956. After years of living in small homes and apartments, Elvis could finally give his parents something better. There was only one problem. His fame was growing much faster than anyone expected.
Soon, fans discovered where Elvis lived. Girls waited outside hoping for an autograph or even a quick look at him. Cars filled the street. Some fans reportedly picked grass from his lawn as souvenirs. Neighbors had strangers standing near their homes for hours. Some even turned on sprinklers to keep people away from their yards.
The First House Elvis Owned at 1034 Audubon Drive
Things became so difficult that local residents reportedly talked about buying Elvis out. One story says Elvis answered by offering to buy their houses instead. His family added a wall, iron gate and more security around the property. It helped a little, but Elvis was becoming too famous for a normal neighborhood.
The house that showed Elvis had finally made it was now showing him something else. He could no longer live like an ordinary 21 year old. He needed more land and more space between his family and the street. That search took the Presleys to a large Memphis property called Graceland.
Inside Elvis Presley’s Graceland Mansion
Elvis bought Graceland in 1957 for $102,500. It sat on about 13.8 acres, giving his family something Audubon Drive could not. Privacy. His parents moved there that May, and Elvis spent his first night there in June. What began as a move away from crowds soon became one of the biggest parts of his story.
There is a strange twist to it all. Elvis left Audubon Drive because too many strangers knew where he lived. Today, people travel from around the world to visit Graceland, the very house he chose for privacy. Audubon showed how fast fame changed his life. Graceland became part of the Elvis name forever. Follow Elvis Presley on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.