While tours of Graceland offer fans and visitors the chance to explore Elvis Presley’s home and learn what his life was like inside the mansion, the upstairs of Graceland remains off limits to the public.
According to the official Graceland website, there are several reasons the upstairs is closed to the public.
The "parts of Graceland we show the world on our tour is the part that Elvis showed anyone who visited him at Graceland. The upstairs was his private area," the website states. "When Graceland opened, Priscilla and Lisa felt that the upstairs should remain private, that letting everyone go up there would be disrespectful and inappropriate — something the rest of our management wholeheartedly agrees with.”
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Additionally, Graceland officials noted "the matter of logistics."
"With our volume of visitors we would be required to put in an extra staircase as an exit, we'd have to do some remodeling upstairs as the hallway connecting the rooms is not large enough to accommodate crowds. This would radically alter the house and no one wants to do that.”
Graceland said "the issues of privacy and respect" are also why they do not publish photos of the upstairs area, although items from upstairs may be brought down and featured in exhibits.
Bob Mehr is the music writer at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at bob.mehr@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The reason Graceland visitors have never been allowed upstairs
