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Audobon Drive Home Sells For US$905,100.00

May 15, 2006 | Other
Elvis Presley's former home at Audobon Drive sells for US$905,100.00. In a final day of frantic bidding the price rose from $460.000.00 to more than $900,000.00 before the hammer fell and an as yet unnamed bidder, "pg2000", took home one of the richest Elvis related prizes ever. With an appraised value of $280,000.00 the result is a windfall for its soon-to-be-ex owners, Mike Freeman and Cindy Hazen. Bill Burk said a book on the home is rumoured to be in production.

The winning bid was submitted by Peter Gleason, a partner in a group that includes Israeli psychic Uri Geller. Their interest in the home is in restoring it to its 1956 luster, down to the original wallpaper and floor coverings, and eventually opening it to the public.
Source:Various
Crawfish wrote on May 15, 2006
Mixed emotions here. A wondereful "buy" for someone and a nice return for Mike and Cindy. Just hope Mr. X looks after it and respects Elvis memory there!
Sean Ryan wrote on May 15, 2006
Uri Geller has bought it.
Teacher wrote on May 15, 2006
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Psychic Uri Geller and two partners have bought the Tennessee house Elvis Presley lived in before moving to Graceland, with a winning bid of $905,100 on eBay, he said on Monday. "We are unbelievably pleased. This is a piece of history," Geller said by phone from England. "We intend to restore it to its old glory. We would like to bring sick children there (for tours), Palestinian children, Israeli children, American children," the Israeli-born Geller said. "Hopefully one day we might get approval to turn it into a museum." Presley bought the four-bedroom, two-bath house at 1034 Audubon Drive in Memphis in 1956 with a down payment of $500. He lived there for 13 months before moving to Graceland, the now-famous Memphis estate where he died in 1977. During his time in the white, ranch-style house with an outdoor swimming pool, Presley's career took off with hits such as "All Shook Up" and "Don't be cruel." Geller identified the sellers as Mike and Cindy Hazen, who bought the house some years ago, though not from Presley, for about $180,000. Geller had original bid $300,000 last month but a bidding war ensued and the price ballooned, he said. During the process he was approached by dozens of people wanting to go in with him, he said. He chose two, New York lawyer Jim Gleason and Lisbeth Silvandersson, a Swedish-born jewelry maker who lives in England, as equal partners. He had set a ceiling price of $1.11 million, said Geller, who acknowledges a paranormal fascination with the number 11. "As the clock closed on the bidding Sunday," Geller said, "I felt intuitively I got the price. I was text messaging Gleason and it was exactly 11 on my mobile phone and suddenly the radio started playing an Elvis song. That was Elvis telling me we got the house!" Geller met Presley in Las Vegas in the 1970s after the "King of Rock and Roll" asked him to perform his "spoon bending" trick for him, he said. Since then he has amassed a large collection of Presley memorabilia, he said.
sunrecords56 wrote on May 15, 2006
Wonderful....there goes the neighborhood, the people are gonna love this...maybe they will re-name the street "SPOOKS RUN WILD" Bill Black and Col Parker will roast a Pig on the front Lawn and everybodys gets a free exam by Dr Nick
Crawfish wrote on May 16, 2006
Absolute disaster! All Audubon Drive will be is a platform for Uri Geller to spout his stuff; I bet it will end up more about Uri Geller than Elvis Presley. Hope the neighbourhood rises up to keep it the brilliant neighbourhood that it is, i.e where proper people live; not all this israeli, palestinian kids rubbish! Sorry, that is not against any culture or people - I suppose I am just so gutted it is more now about promotion and money making and not a wonderful memory.
Sean Ryan wrote on May 16, 2006
Crawfish, i can understand what you mean.Why didnt EPE get it? I could be wrong but i dont think they even put a bid in.its not like the new sillerman cant afford it.
Crawfish wrote on May 16, 2006
Sean, as far as I know they didn't. Was in Memphis beginning of April and spoke to a few people who were extremely "put off" the thought purely because it was in a residential area and you are so limited with what you can do. It's not like Graceland in all it's acreage. But I agree with you, just can't understand why EPE or LMP or the like didn't go for it - for Elvis' sake!! (God protect us from any more Gellers!)
Devon wrote on May 16, 2006
Love the King, but there is no way i pay that amount. What can you do with it?. Yes live in it thats fine but no thank you.
Steve V wrote on May 16, 2006
Not a defining momnet in Elvis lore. Sounds bad.
sunrecords56 wrote on May 19, 2006
I wonder if the "3 Stooges" who bought 1034 have heard from the Colonel via Uri's Nutty phone on how to make money on this purchase.....Maybe they can put the Latrine from Fort Hood in the pool...Uri maybe you want to buy that place he lived in in germany or hey better yet lauderdale court they could tell you more than 1034.....buy the way I have a Bridge over here in Brooklyn NY and if the price is right i can let you have it cheep.