Priscilla Presley Explains Why So Many People Feel Drawn to Graceland

More than four decades after it opened to the public for the first time, Elvis Presley's Graceland remains one of the most significant homes of the 20th century. Each year, 600,000 visitors make the pilgrimage to the property on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. The 17,552-square-foot home is the second-most visited in the country, behind only the White House.

Compared to other famous homes like Biltmore Estate, The Breakers, and even Monticello, the 23-room Colonial Revival style residence is decidedly modest. Some might even consider its kitschy décor garish.

So, what is it about Graceland that calls to so many, year after year? Perhaps it's because it's serves as a time capsule of interior design trends. Or maybe it's morbid curiosity about the cultural icon who was taken too soon. Most likely, it's a combination of both.

Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla, who lived at Graceland for many years, shared her theory on why people are drawn to the home during a June interview with Architectural Digest.

Priscilla, who said she can still recall countless memories of laughing until she cried within those walls, told the publication that she thinks people flock to Graceland to feel connected to the King of Rock and Roll. Even with all the time that's gone by since his death, there's still an air of mystery around him.

"Elvis didn't fit the mold, he marched to his own drum," she explained. "But when people walk in that front door there is a reverence, respect, a quietness. It's as if his spirit is there. They come back time after time to experience…him."