When Elvis Presley moved his family from 1034 Audubon Drive to Graceland in 1957, the rising star wanted to protect his privacy.
The Memphis mansion and its grounds would be open for his inner circle to enjoy but they’d have to be specially invited upstairs to the King’s sanctuary.
Up in his main living space for escaping the world was his bedroom, with windows that didn’t open and air conditioning so cold that guests would be given jackets to stay warm.
Access at the top of the first-floor landing was obstructed by a newly installed privacy wall, featuring one-way mirrors so that Elvis could see who was on the other side.
If fans visit Graceland today, you can just about see these from the bottom of the staircase by the entrance to the mansion. But have you ever wondered what was behind the drapes at the top of the stairs?
Elvis’ cousin and last surviving original Memphis Mafia member Billy Smith was previously asked during a Q&A on his YouTube channel.
The question was: “What is directly on the other side of the block wall with the drapes that’s at the first landing of the stairs at Graceland?” At first Billy joked: “Well they got a real big statue of Elvis and it’s back behind there.”
Answering the question seriously, he said: “No, what it was, he put it up there to kind of blend in and cover-up in with the interior downstairs. And at that time it was red.” But what’s behind them?
Billy continued: “Behind it was a door and this door led out to a little balcony that was over the top of the Jungle Room.”
This makes sense as in 1960 Elvis extended the house with the Jungle Room, which he called The Den. Originally this was a screened-in porch that was then closed off as a room a few years later on. There was even a plan for a conference room above, however, this was never completed after The King’s sudden death in 1977.