The new grand entranceway at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa is now the home of Elvis Presley’s iconic 24-karat gold leaf grand piano.
The grand entranceway, which features gold and glass design elements along with two curved escalators, is part of the property’s ongoing $700 million expansion, which will be completed in the fall. A grand opening has been scheduled for October 3.
As part of the grand opening weekend, country artist Keith Urban will perform on Friday, October 4, in the property’s new 1,500-seat Hard Rock Event Center. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
“We’re honored to have Elvis’s priceless piano on permanent display here at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa,” said Jim Allen, Hard Rock International Chairman and Seminole Gaming CEO. “Hard Rock has such a deep connection to music history, so it’s fitting that this fantastic piece of memorabilia is here at one of the most successful casino properties in the world.”
Presley’s grand piano was played by the “King of Rock and Roll” inside a music room at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee. He originally purchased the piano for his mother in 1955 and installed it in his new home on Audubon Drive. The piano was placed into storage for 10 years after Presley’s mother’s death in 1958, until Priscilla Presley decided to adorn the piano in 24-karat gold-leaf finish as a Christmas gift and in celebration of the couple’s first wedding anniversary.
Hard Rock International acquired the piano as its 80,000th piece of memorabilia.
The Elvis piano joins more than 500 other pieces of the most evocative and valuable pieces of music memorabilia at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, including such fan favorites as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and many more. A sampling of these pieces can be seen through the self-guided memorabilia Rock Walk tour on the Mezzanine Level of the property.
—
Photo Credit: American Spirit / Shutterstock.com
