UPDATE: Hillcrest Drive demolition, email from the Urban Designer of the City of Beverly Hills

Elvis Presley's former Beverly Hills, California home located at 1174 Hillcrest Drive is facing demolition. A demolition notice was recently posted on the entry gates, and it was to begin on June 11th. The property was purchased December 14, 2012 by Hard Rock Cafe; Founder Peter Morton. Morton is known for purchasing older mansions and then constructing a much larger mansion. Elvis fans are NOT happy regarding the very tragic possibility of demolition. Tons of Elvis fans from all around the world have established  telephone and email contact with the proper officials involved. 

Elvis Presley Fans of Nashville member, Sharon Bernard has granted us permission to share the email response she received from Mr. William Crouch, the Urban Designer of the City of Beverly Hills.  

William Crouch also sent Sharon the "Cultural Heritage Commission Report" dating to March 6, 2013 when "1174 Hillcrest Drive" was nominated for inclusion into the Local Register for Historic Resources.                             


View the document at the provided link:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1Vv9mjWTZe1_dRVYzf-J317dS6YZtjigcirlKhayIW7XnZyxL_IvUWnj7ghhO/edit

Thank you Sharon for making the contact and allowing Elvis Presley Fans of Nashville to share your email with Mr. William Crouch. 

From: William Crouch <wcrouch@beverlyhills.org>
Date: June 13, 2013, 10:58:12 AM EDT
Subject: FW: Former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Elvis Presley

"Thank you for your call regarding the former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Elvis Presley located at 1174 N. Hillcrest Road in Beverly Hills. As I mentioned, this property was recently reviewed for consideration under the City’s Historic Preservation Program. The program is designed to help protect historic buildings in Beverly Hills. The City’s Cultural Heritage Commission reviewed several key criteria and found that the property did not meet the standards needed for a historic designation. One of the key factors in their decision was that the property had gone through too many architectural changes over the years, and therefore had lost most of its ‘original’ architectural integrity. The good news is, the current owners have indicated that they will keep the original property gate in place (along with the numerous written messages from fans) as a way to honor Mr. Presley’s memory."

"I’ve attached the report from the Commission for your review. Please feel free to contact me should you have additional questions."

Warm regards,

Bill Crouch


William R. Crouch AIA, NCARB, AICP, LEED (AP)
Urban Designer
City of Beverly Hills
N. Rexford Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90212


The City keeps a copy of all E-mails sent and received for a minimum of 2 years. All retained E-mails will be treated as a Public Record per the California Public Records Act, and may be subject to disclosure pursuant to the terms, and subject to the exemptions, of that Act.