Tag: artist

Elvis Presley and the Graceland Estate

In March of 2006, Elvis Presleys Graceland estate was raised to the level of
Washingtons Mount Vernon and Jeffersons Monticello. It officially became a National
Historic Monument.

Of course, long before the Secretary of the Interior made this public announcement,
Presley fans worldwide had made his home a popular tourist destination; Graceland
already attracted more than 600,000 people every year. The designation of his home as a
national landmark celebrates his widely-known contributions to American culture and
music history.

Elvis Presley is among the most influential figures in 20th century music and pop culture.
He was most famous as a musician and was indicted into three halls of fame: the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the GMA Gospel Hall of
Fame. No other artist has been honored by all three establishments. Presley also
triumphed on television and starred in 33 movies.

Shortly after his rise to stardom, Elvis felt a need for privacy. In 1957 he moved out of
working-class East Memphis and purchased the 14-acre Graceland estate. The price tag:
$103,000 easily purchased with proceeds from his first hit record, Heartbreak Hotel.
Graceland would be Elviss primary residence for the next 20 years. His parents lived
there too, as did his wife-to-be Priscilla Beaulieu and eventually their daughter, Lisa
Marie. Elvis Presley died in an upstairs Graceland bathroom in 1977.

The Graceland estate is located south of downtown Memphis and is just a few miles
north of the Mississippi border. The grounds were named after Grace Toot, the daughter
of the homes original owner. Grace inherited the property while it was still farmland.
She gifted the land to a niece, Ruth Moore, who had the mansion built.

The colonial-style mansion is constructed of tan limestone with white columns. Two
stone lions seem to guard the front entrance. Elvis Presley expanded the living space
from about 10,000 square feet to 17,000 square feet. He is known for his extravagance
and a unique sense of design; some call it kitschy. The home reflected Elvis well; he
became so comfortable there that when he traveled, his hotel rooms were pre-decorated
with furniture sent from Graceland.

Elviss indoor and outdoor estate expansions were considerable. For privacy, he
constructed a fieldstone wall around the grounds. (Today it is full of visitors graffiti.) He
added a wrought-iron privacy gate to the outside drive; its decorated with iron musical
notes. He installed a swimming pool with adjacent jukebox in his parents bedroom, and
the famous Jungle Room has a waterfall. Elvis also kept several televisions in the
basement and was known to watch three simultaneously.

Today, audio tours begin at the lion-flanked portico. Visitors then see Elviss living room
and the adjacent music room. The tour moves to the kitchen and dining room, and then
downstairs to the basement to see side-by-side TVs, a bar, and a billiards table. The tour
continues upstairs in the Jungle Room. Elvis memorabilia are displayed throughout, with
his sequined jumpsuits being especially prominent. Outdoors, people can see his trophy
collection, horse stables, and a shooting range. A separate building displays his car
collection and two small airplanes. Public tours show much of the mansion but avoid the
top floor where Elvis passed away.

Elvis died at Graceland in 1977. Medical reports vary; he apparently had a drug-induced
heart attack. He was buried at a public cemetery but people attempted to rob his grave.
Presleys remains were moved to his mansions Meditation Gardens, where the performer
joined his deceased parents and grandmother. The August 16th anniversary of Elvis
Presleys death is a particularly popular time for Graceland visits. Despite a downpour of
rain through Memphis, the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death drew a procession of
40,000 people.

After Elviss death, Priscilla Presley managed the property and greatly increased its value
by promoting tourism. Graceland opened to the public in 1982. The Presleys daughter,
Lisa Marie Presley, inherited the estate when she turned 30 years old. She kept the
mansion but sold 85% of the grounds to a private management company in 2005. The
new owner, CKX, Inc., plans to make Graceland a theme park on par with Disneyland.

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Democracy and Tasty Treats at Faneuil Hall

Bostons Faneuil Hall, which has been nicknamed The Cradle of Liberty, hosted
Americas first political town meeting. Since its construction by French Huguenot
merchant Peter Faneuil in 1742, the hall has served as a shelter for sheep, a lively
marketplace, and a center for free speech.

From the start, the halls activities have been divided by floor. The first floor briefly held
African sheep herded from New Hampshire; a sheep shortage soon brought that program
to a halt. Since 1748, the first floor has served as a public marketplace; Peter Faneuil
encouraged pushcart vendors to permanently set up shop. The second floor has long
featured the meeting hall, though it was briefly converted a theater during the British
occupation of 1774.
The first public meeting held at Faneuil was actually on the occasion of Peter Faneuils
death; his eulogy was read at the hall. Revolutionaries later used the site to protest King
Georges taxes and to pen the famous doctrine concerning no taxation without
representation. Following the Boston Massacre, the public filled the hall to capacity to
discuss the event. The patriot orator Samuel Adams gave an impassioned speech, and two
years later, he would there initiate the first Committee of Correspondence. That meeting
of colonial representatives is commonly considered the beginning of the American
Revolution. Today, a statue of Sam Adams stands outside the Hall.
As time went on, Faneuil Hall continued to be a popular political forum. Suffragist Lucy
Stone and abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison drew
crowds in the 1800s. In the past century, Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton have helped it
maintain the Cradle of Liberty nickname.
Architecturally, Faneuil Hall has undergone several expansions and restorations. First,
the entire building was razed in a 1761 fire. It was quickly rebuilt in time to hear early
revolutionaries speeches in 1762. Next, the building was significantly expanded in 1806.
Americas first native-born architect, Charles Bulfinch, doubled the halls height and
width. He added galleries around the second floor assembly room and added a third floor.
Twenty years later, additional construction expanded the Quincy Market. This meat and
produce market had been drawing more and more vendors and customers. By the mid-
1900s, however, the building had fallen into disrepair and was losing public interest.
Major restoration saved Faneuil Hall in the 1970s. This urban renewal was among the
first in American cities and inspired other projects nationwide.

One architectural element that has remained constant is a 38-pound gilded copper
grasshopper! Its the centerpiece of the buildings weathervane. Peter Faneuil
commissioned an artist to create this grasshopper; he was inspired by one that sat atop the
Royal Exchanges pinnacle in London. Thus, for colonial merchants the Faneuil Hall
weathervane was a symbol of Old World commerce. The grasshopper became so well-
known to northerners that when someone suspected a spy during the Revolution, theyd
ask, What sits atop Faneuil Hall? Those who didnt know were deemed likely British
agents.

Todays Faneuil Hall Marketplace refers to a group of four buildings: Faneuil Hall,
Quincy Market, North Market and South Market. The marketplace has pubs, restaurants,
and more than 125 vendors offering a wide variety of food and crafts. Each year more
than 15 million people visit the market. The popular landmark is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places and is now part of Boston National Historical Park.

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The Washington Monument

The Washington Monument, which is visible from almost everywhere in Washington,
D.C., is truly a city landmark. The 555-foot tall obelisk has punctuated the National Mall
since 1884. It honors George Washington, Father of the United States, who was
unanimously elected the nations first President.

When George Washington died in 1799, Congress praised him as First in war, first in
peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen. Politicians proposed a Washington
monument in the early 1800s, but they disagreed about details. For example, should the
monument include Washingtons tomb? Would it be appropriate to depict him in ancient
Greek style? When a statue was eventually presented, people objected to the half-clad
classical Greek sort of George. Congressional quibbling ultimately led to the creation of a
private monument foundation.

The National Monument Society was formed in 1833. The members raised a considerable
amount of money within a few years, and in 1836 they announced a design competition
for the memorial.

An artist named Robert Mills submitted the winning design. He proposed a 600-foot
obelisk that would protrude from a circular base. The base and obelisk would be
decorated with statues and frescoes of national heroes, including a toga-clad George
Washington in a horse-drawn chariot. In the end, however, the obelisk would be a bit
shorter, and the artists plan for statues and frescoes would not be realized.

The monuments cornerstone was laid amid great celebration in 1848. Ceremonially, the
National Monument Society ensured that the stone was set with the same trowel George
Washington had used when setting the Capitols cornerstone years earlier. The city
celebrated that night with fireworks.

With the cornerstone set, the National Monument Society increased its efforts to fund the
project. Ordinary citizens were urged to pledge $1 each. Businesses, professional
organizations, foreign governments and Native American tribes contributed stones.
Sometimes the stone donations were engraved with messages that didnt speak to the
theme of George Washington; one block of stone read, We will not buy, sell, or use as a
beverage, any spiritous or malt liquors, Wine, Cider, or any other Alcoholic Liquor.
Engraved stones make up interior walls of the hollow monument.

Scandal erupted around a stone donation in 1854, and the entire project came to a halt.
The anti-Catholic Know-Nothing Party stole and smashed a donation made by Pope Pius
IX. They dumped the stone chips into the Potomac River. This resulted in Congress
rescinding an approval for $200,000 in memorial funds. The Know-Nothings then
assumed management of the monument society, but their legacy is unimpressive.
Everything they added to the monument was eventually removed, and no real progress
was made until after the Civil War.

Because of the cut in funding, the monument ended up being shorter than originally
planned, and without the statues envisioned by Mills. A lag in construction time also led
to stone being sourced from different quarry layers, so the coloring of the monument is
not uniform.

Work was finally completed in 1884. The monument, though short of its goal, was the
largest structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was completed five years later. It was
much larger than the Egyptian obelisks that inspired it; these are typically about 100 feet
tall. The walls were made fifteen feet thick at the base and narrowed to 18 inches near the
top. The monument was capped with a 100-ounce aluminum pyramid. At the time,
aluminum was scarce and was valued like silver. This was the largest cast-aluminum item
in the world.

Starting in 1888, adult male visitors were allowed to travel up the Washington Monument
in a twenty-minute steam-powered elevator ride. Somehow the ride was deemed too risky
for women and children; they would have to climb the 800 stairs for a view!
Progressively speedier elevators were installed since then, and for safety reasons people
are now forbidden to use the stairs.

From the top of the Washington Monument, tourists can see most of Washington, D.C. as
well as parts of Maryland and Virginia. In March and April, flowering cherry trees can be
spotted in West Potomac Park below.

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