Roughly 75 people, including members of the City Council, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Downtown Main Street Association and the media, got a sneak peak at the final result of a $262,000 renovation before its grand opening Monday on Elvis birthday. It s one thing to have a vision, but it s another to have the creative minds to put in place, Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation chairman Henry Dodge told the crowd before inviting them into the exhibit. Dodge explained that he and his board hatched plans to turn the museum into a world-class attraction early last year and hired Scott Blake and the Henry Swanson of Design 500 to bring their ideas to life.
Swanson passed away before the project finished. I ve designed museums all over the world - the Kremlin, the Vatican - but this is the first place where they ve held a potluck luncheon for us, Blake joked before explaining his concept for the new look, which tells the story of Elvis life in Tupelo using dramatic themes, artifacts, audio and video clips. Two-thirds of the exhibit highlight young Elvis and use muted colors and textures to tell that tale, while the last third showcases Elvis as a performer with vibrant hues and backdrops to accentuate that part of his life.
And at the transition of those two phases is a display signifying the special friendship between Janelle McComb and Elvis Presley, which was envied by all and matched by none, Dodge said. McComb donated most of the memorabilia for the museum, which was given to her as a gift by Presley himself. I thought it was phenomenal, said guest Douglas Penny as he emerged from the museum.
It s the first time I ve been in the museum, and I ve lived in Tupelo 21 years. I m just amazed. My favorite part was seeing his clothes.
I wasn t around during that time, and to see the flashy clothes in pictures is one thing but to see the actual outfits on display is really impressive.
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