Introduction
The house that Elvis Presley is most closely associated with is, of course, Graceland. However, The King spent a considerable amount of time in California, especially after he got out of the Army and started making movies.
This article details the Los Angeles homes that Elvis lived in (specifically “The Platinum Triangle”) while he made 27 movies, ranging from G.I. Blues (1960) to Change of Habit (1969). This also includes their associated records, and The Comeback Special he filmed in 1968.
When Elvis wanted to escape the Hollywood Limelight, he would head to Palm Springs. Below, we’ll take a look at the seven homes The King dwelled at during his Hollywood years in both Los Angeles and Palm Springs.
The Platinum Triangle
The Platinum Triangle is the nickname given to three affluent communities that are adjacent to each other: Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills. This area was the main stomping grounds for Elvis when he was in Los Angeles.
1174 Hillcrest Road
Elvis owned this Beverly Hills home from 1967 to 1973 and spent a considerable amount of time with his wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie here.
Located in Trousdale Estates and built in 1958 on just a little over an acre of land, the nearly 5,400 square foot house features three bedrooms and five bathrooms. The gated home includes a swimming pool and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The house was bought by The King for $400,000 and sold for $25.5 million in 2019. The previous owner Peter Morton, founder of the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant brand, wanted to demolish the property after buying it for $10 million in 2012. However, he changed his mind after public outrage about the proposed demolition reached him.
144 Monovale Drive
Elvis purchased this home on the corner of Ladera and Monovale Drive in Holmby Hills in December 1970 for $339,000. The 9,700 square foot, seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom Tudor house was built in 1937 and sits on 1.6 acres. It was renovated in 1961 and then further by Elvis in 1971.
Priscilla and Lisa Marie continued to live at Monovale after their divorce and until Priscilla found an apartment in Marina del Rey. Eventually, Elvis sold the house to actor Telly Savalas for $625,000 in June of 1975. It sold in 2020 for $20 million.
525 Perugia Way
Elvis rented this house in Bel-Air on two separate occasions. First from 1960 to 1961 and then from 1963 to 1965. In 1965, The Beatles visited Elvis at this property. The day was August 27th and The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein had arranged with Elvis’ manager Colonel Tom Parker (aka Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk) for The Beatles to come over to the house to meet Elvis.
“Everything was quite secretive. Not a big deal was made about it because no one wanted it to get out to the press.”
– Priscilla Presley
The Beatles arrived with a small entourage that included Epstein, while Elvis had a large group of over 20 people there to meet the Fab Four. Elvis was watching TV with the sound off as they came in.
“It was a little bit awkward because they kept looking at him and not really saying anything.”
– Priscilla Presley
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Elvis told the Beatles that if they didn’t have anything to say, he would go to sleep. Everybody laughed and the ice was broken. They talked about music for a while and then eventually grabbed whatever instruments were around and started playing a variety of tunes. This included songs by Elvis, Chuck Berry, and The Beatles, with Elvis playing bass on I Feel Fine.
“(We were) terrified. He is our idol. I just remember sitting there and him playing the bass. And me thinking, ‘It’s Elvis! It’s Elvis! It’s actually Elvis.’ He looked great then, no weight on him. He looked good.”
– John Lennon
The meeting lasted about 4 hours in total.
“It was one of the great meetings of my life. I think he liked us. I think at that time, he may have felt a little bit threatened, but he didn’t say anything. We certainly didn’t feel any antagonism. I only met him that once, and then I think the success of our career started to push him out a little, which we were very sad about, because we wanted to co-exist with him. He was our greatest idol, but the styles were changing in favor of us.”
– Paul McCartney
The house is no longer there. It was demolished in 1988 and the current house that exists on the property was built in 1991.
10539 Bellagio Road
Elvis rented this Bel-Air home from November 1961 to January 1963. However, Elvis wasn’t the only famous person to live on this property.
Built in 1931, and designed by famed architect Wallace Neff for movie mogul Sol Wurtzel, this Spanish Colonial mansion was also the home of Howard Hughes and Prince Ranier. The Prince had lived here when he was dating Grace Kelly.
This incredible home is over 13,300 square feet in size and is situated on 1.5 acres of land. The highlights of this property are its beautiful gardens, luxurious swimming pool, and tennis courts.
Elvis didn’t enjoy living in this house due to its size and opulent fanciness. As a result, he opted to move back to 525 Perugia Way after spending just fourteen months here.
10550 Rocca Place
10550 Rocca Place in Bel-Air was built in 1962. The 8,300 square foot home sits on 1.7 acres. The house has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Elvis rented this property in 1966. Both this house and the property on Bellagio Road were owned by the same landlord, the wife of Reginald Owen, who was famous for playing Scrooge in the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol. The Beatles also rented this house in 1964.
Palm Springs
1350 Ladera Circle
Robert Alexander was a renowned home builder in Palm Springs. His personal home was dubbed the “House of Tomorrow” and was featured in Look Magazine. In 1965 he and his wife were killed in a plane crash.
Shortly thereafter, Elvis rented Alexander’s futuristic home for the sum of $21,000 a year. The house is 5,500 square feet and has recently been restored to its original 1960s glory. Some of the features of the house include a 64-foot long couch, a swimming pool, and an ultra-modern fireplace.
Presley’s intention was to get married in the house, but when the press got wind of it he headed to Las Vegas and got married there instead. In May 1967, Elvis borrowed Frank Sinatra’s private jet and returned from Las Vegas with his new bride Priscilla in tow.
850 W. Chino Road
In 1970, Elvis purchased a house in Palm Springs that had previously been owned by Ray Kroc, the franchisor of McDonald’s. The property sits on the Chino Canyon Overlook Trail. Elvis paid Kroc $105,000 for the house.
Dubbed “Graceland West,” the Presley’s lived there for several months a year and after his divorce in 1973, Elvis added another 2,000 square feet to the home. This included a new bedroom and an entertainment suite he called “The Jungle Room.”
In 1981, Frankie Valli would purchase this house, selling it four years later for $500,000.
