Tuesday, March 19, 2013

March 19 - A Shack Is Born


The Danish Elvis Unlimited fan club announced that it will build a replica of Elvis' childhood home in Randers

Press release:
Randers just can’t get enough of Elvis. First Henrik Knudsen built a replica of Elvis Presley's home 'Graceland' (Memphis) and now he is ready to build a replica of The King of Rock ’n’ Roll’s birthplace ( Tupelo, Mississippi).

It’s a small wooden house of approx. 50 square meters, similar to the one that Elvis was born in on January 8, 1935. The house was in the poor, black neighborhood in the city and was built by Elvis' father, Vernon Presley, for the modest sum of $ 180. Henrik Knudsen's investment will be somewhat larger, but still significantly less than the construction of Graceland Randers.

"The house is identical to the original house in the U.S. and will be built in 1:1 scale," says Henrik Knudsen.

Elvis and his family lived in the house for 2 years before they moved to a new location.

"Nowhere else in the world is it possible to see both the house where Elvis was born as well as the one where he was found dead, just 42 years old. It's going to give people an understanding of where Elvis came from and the contrast to where he ended up, " says Henrik Knudsen. The house will be finished around Graceland Randers' two-year anniversary in mid-April.

Graceland Randers Director believes that this extension and a lot of improvements to the existing museum, which are already in the pipeline, will attract tourists to Randers.

(Source: Elvis Unlimited)