TYLER, Texas — This year's proposed city of Tyler budget will continue to fund the renovations of the historic Mayfair Building that once saw performances from Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton.
This historic building was built in the late 1920s and was home to performances by some of the biggest artists of its time.
"The building has seen wrestling, a number of USO dances, a number of famous musicians have come through on their routes through Texas," said Stephanie Franklin, deputy city manager.
On the list of well-known musicians who have performed here is the King of Rock 'n Roll, Elvis Presley.
"We’ve got some original photos of Elvis when he was in the dressing room," Franklin said. "So we’re reserving that area for a small museum area as well as the front."
When it comes to the timeline of the project, renovations started in March and are expected to be completed in October of this year. The City of Tyler is dedicated to seeing the building restored with the intention of becoming a venue for many different types of events.
"It provides a unique space if you want to have an event, or something that wants to go with a conference, or we’ll have other kinds of concerts and things that we rent it out for as well. So, this opens a whole new opportunity for us for entertainment," Franklin said.
From keeping the original oak flooring to the dressing room Elvis sat in, Franklin said one of the most important things of the renovation is not just making a new space for events but preserving the history of the building itself.
"It’s going to be like you opened the door and you walked back into the dance hall," Franklin said.