Elvis fan has bought the building

Public Record, The, Dec 07, 2004 by Kleinschmidt, Janice

A grandfather clock on the other side of the entryway that Elvis received as a Christmas present is stopped at 1:37, the time Elvis was found dead in Memphis (the Fontanas found it that way). A 1946 Wurlitzer jukebox from Blue Hawaii has been valued by Sotheby's at $150,000. Fontana relates stories behind these items, as well as an upright piano he says Elvis spotted in a secondhand store while walking down Palm Canyon Drive with his friend Charlie Hodge and for which he paid $75.

A large music room features original sheet music and movie posters. Eighteen-year-old Cameron Fontana, who has his own music career, is he only kid in the world who can jam in Elvis' music room every day, his father notes. Outside, Fontana uncovers a 1977 Cadillac limousine that he found in Ohio. He has a copy of a title showing it belonged to Elvis. After it has been restored, the Fontanas will rent it at $1,000 for six hours.

Approximately 1.5 acres of the property remain undeveloped. Fontana has plans to put in an underground parking lot for events, a recording studio, a meditation garden and a wedding chapel over the next three years. Then the home will be put in a 100-year family trust, making it available for Elvis fans for generations to come.