Last Elvis Concert Site to Be Marked

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday June 03, 2002 11:48 AM EDT

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With the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley approaching this Aug. 16, some Indianapolis fans are planning to dedicate a historical marker at the site of the Market Square Arena, where the King gave his last concert ever, reports the Associated Press. The Arena, like Elvis, is no longer standing, though -- it was demolished last year. And, it isn't Elvis's death that the fans are commemorating, but rather his final performance, which he delivered on June 26, 1977. According to AP, the fans' remembrance, to be placed atop a granite column, will bear a bronze inscription reading, "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building." As Kay Lipps, chairman of the Taking Care of Presley Memorial Committee, told the news service: "We've designed it in such a way that when something else is developed there, hopefully we'll be able to still use it in a cornerstone." The actual location of the marker will be a street corner overlooking the gravel parking lot where the arena once stood. Encased within it will be a time capsule featuring memorabilia of the rock icon, who died -- at age 42 -- from heart disease aggravated by prescription drug abuse. "The edifices, the places that we played in, were good places," said Al Dvorin, who served as the announcer for all of Elvis's shows from 1955 until his death and who delivered the trademark statement, "Elvis has left the building, thank you and good night." Speaking to the AP, Dvorin, who intends to be at the Indianapolis dedication, added, "If the cities have seen fit to put up bigger places, so be it. But our memories lie in places where we've played."