Audubon Park in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Elvis Presley House

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

1. Elvis Presley House Marker

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
Click for more information.

Inscription.
On March 20, 1956 Elvis Presley and his parents, Vernon and Gladys, moved into 1034 Audubon Drive purchased with royalties from his first million-dollar-selling record, “Heartbreak Hotel.” It was the year that defined his career. The home is now owned by the Mike Curb Family Foundation dedicated to the support of music education and restoration of historic music locations. In 2006, the foundation created the Mike Curb Institute for Music at Rhodes College to advance music-related preservation and research.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is March 20, 1956.

Location. 35° 6.205′ N, 89° 55.209′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Audubon Park. It is on Audubon Drive ¼ mile south of Park Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1034 Audubon Dr, Memphis TN 38117, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Beginning (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Player (approx. 0.6 miles away); Gen. James M. Kennedy Hospital (approx. 0.6 miles away); William G. Leftwich, Jr. Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Eudora Baptist Church

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(approx. 1.2 miles away); Tragic Accident Sparks Sanitation Strike (approx. 1.2 miles away); Normal Station Neighborhood (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Eudora Baptist Church (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Regarding Elvis Presley House. Excerpt from the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the house:

On March 8, 1956, Elvis used his first royalty checks from RCA to purchase his first home, a one-story ranch house at 1034 Audubon Drive. He paid $29,100 for the four-bedroom, two-bath house with an attached carport. He bought the property from Howard and Ruth Handwerker. Howard Handweker was employed by a wood product company and had experience in construction. He designed and built this home for his family in late 1953 or early 1954. … To Elvis, the home was a refuge from the demands and the controversy of his career. Unfortunately he was not able to spend as much time as he wanted at Audubon Drive. Whether he was there or not, his home became the epicenter of teen fantasy. …

This was a real family home where Vernon, his father, added onto the house; Gladys, his mother, kept a garden
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

2. Elvis Presley House Marker
in the back yard; Hollywood actress Natalie Wood was a house guest; yet and Elvis and his family were still accessible to his fans and neighbors. Less than a year later, his increasing popularity and security issues resulted in his family's retreat into the seclusion of an isolated gated suburban estate, the better-known Graceland …

Also see . . . Elvis Presley's 1956 Home | 1034 Audubon Drive, Memphis, TN. Elvis Australia website entry (Submitted on June 27, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Elvis Presley at his first house image. Click for full size.

via Elvis Australia (Public Domain), May 29, 1956

3. Elvis Presley at his first house

Elvis, shown in the front yard of the Audubon Drive house, had just returned from touring; the band’s instruments were still packed on the roof of his car. His famous pink Cadillac can be seen over his right shoulder.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 901 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 27, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.