The wide area that surrounds the airport in Memphis, including Graceland, will have a major renovation in the next years. Besides the hunderd of thousands of tourists that are attracted to the city of music, the industry and medical campus are important players in the citys economy.
It is known for a long time that the connection between the airport and downtown Memphis is no warm welcome for the visitors. Tourists and business people can not bypass Brooks Road, with abandoned buildings and stripclubs.
EPE invests a lot of money in buying real estate in the neighborhoud to do their part in the renovation. Sillerman asked the city for an assurance that they will renovate those parts of the city, before buying his part in EPE.
Memphis Will Get Renovation
January 14, 2007 | Other Source:ElvisMattersJth wrote on
January 14, 2007
I've never been to Memphis, but this is still good news; at least EPE can get some things right
Mielvis wrote on
January 14, 2007
I've been to Memphis many times and have seen all the "Elvis" sites therein. Yes the city is dumpy but I really don't care except for the small area around the Graceland complex. Most people who live in Memphis ridicule Elvis and the fans, so as far as I'm concered they can fix their own city.
Bill E. Burk wrote on
January 14, 2007
Don't hold on to your breath waiting for this to happen. Talk is cheap. All this fixing up - which IS needed - takes tax money. Not million$, but billion$. And currently we Memphians pay some of the highest taxes in the USA just to retain what we have. Remember a couple of years ago the City of MEM was going to really upgrade EP Boulevard. Well, we got a visitors center at the north end (EP & Brooks) and I seldom see any visitors there. EPE paid for that little traffic island with the trees right in front of the mansion. And - tah DAH - a new McDonald's went up to the south of Graceland. I'll be the happiest Memphian alive IF these improvements EVER take place, but I, for one, am not holding my breath.
Colonel wrote on
January 14, 2007
Memphis to me is a dream. I hope I'll get there someday. It's cool that they try to rennovate it but I hope there ill be no more Elvis-shops, -museum, -hotels and - restaurants. It's way too heavy imo
Getlow wrote on
January 15, 2007
The darker / sleezer side of Memphis is actually the most appealing to me. These areas have changed little since Elvis and that for me is special, as more and more Memphians (with money) move out of town the areas of Elvis' haunts are mainly the same. I know EP Blvd is very different, even to when I first went there in 1984 and my fear is that in the furture it just won't feel the same driving to the mansion on the various routes Elvis would take. "I'm going to keep Graceland as long as I possibly can"
gracepines wrote on
January 15, 2007
I think it is a great idea that there may be improvements around Elvis Presley BLVD Brooks Rd ETC. It is certainly needed. I'm sure if Elvis was alive to day he would of helped to do something long ago to improve his surroundings.
My boy, my boy wrote on
January 15, 2007
Mielvis, you say most Memphians ridicule Elvis and his fans, I`ve never been to Memphis myself so please tell me what`s all about this ?...I`m a little surprised by such a statement !
corey3rd wrote on
January 18, 2007
On our trip to Memphis, we were rather shocked at how creepy the city was. We joked that if recognized an area from "Hustle and Flow," we were in the wrong neighborhood. We decided to walk from Sun Studio to downtown. There were way too many buildings that were empty with the front windows smashed out. The area around Graceland needs more real landscaping and less asphalt and concrete. There's too much of a coldness to the property owned by EPE. Memphis needs a facelift, but not merely for Elvis tourists, but for the people living in the city.