Graceland to become a national landmark

MEMPHIS, March 24 (UPI) -- Elvis Presley's Memphis estate, Graceland, has been tapped as a National Historic Landmark.

The home Presley bought in 1957 for $103,000 will receive its official designation as a national treasure in a Monday ceremony to be conducted by outgoing Interior Secretary Gale Norton, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Friday.

The estate Presley bought with the money he made from recording "Heartbreak Hotel" will join some 2,500 sites designated as national landmarks or "exceptional places" by the Department of Interior.

Graceland was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. More than 600,000 tourists pass through its doors annually.