Planes remain at Graceland
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It looks like Elvis Presley’s airplanes are staying at Graceland.
Graceland released a statement Sunday saying the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II, two custom-designed jets once owned by Presley, will remain permanently at the Memphis tourist attraction centered on the life and career of the late singer.
The announcement ends confusion about the future of the planes, once used by the King for travel to performances after he bought them in the 1970s.
The larger plane, a Convair 880 named after Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie, is like a customized flying limousine, complete with a large bed, a stereo system, conference room and gold-plated bathroom fixtures. It was renovated after Presley bought it from Delta Air Lines. .
The smaller jet, a JetStar named the Hound Dog II, was also used by Presley.
The planes were sold after Presley’s death on Aug. 16, 1977, and they were eventually purchased by a company called OKC Partnership.
OKC Partnership and Graceland agreed to park the planes at Graceland in the mid-1980s, and tours of their opulent interiors became popular.
But the fate of the planes became cloudy last year.
In an April 7, 2014, letter to OKC Partnership, Elvis Presley Enterprises said it was exercising its option to end the agreement and asked OKC “to make arrangements for the removal of the airplanes.”
Earlier this month, Shelby County’s land use board approved a proposal by OKC Partnership to move the planes to a lot not far from Graceland.
Graceland’s statement on Sunday appeared to end such plans.
“Graceland is pleased that an agreement has been reached for Elvis’ two airplanes, the Lisa Marie and Hound Dog II to remain at Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis permanently,” the statement said.
