Paisley Park

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Lore & Background

Construction of the $10 million complex began in January 1986, and officially opened on September 11, 1987. Designed by architecture firm BOTO Design Inc., of Santa Monica, California, the main designers were architect Bret Thoeny and acoustician Marshall Long. The complex shares its name with Prince's 1985 single, 'Paisley Park'. The Paisley Park studio complex totalled 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) by the early 1990s, and includes four recording studios, a 12,500-square-foot (1,160 m2) sound stage, a video editing suite, rehearsal room, offices, tenant space, and an underground parking garage. Other amenities include an outdoor basketball court, and living quarters. Paisley Park's four recording studios are designated A, B, C, and D. Initially a private studio used by Prince and Paisley Park Records artists, its production facilities were used by numerous artists. After the Paisley Park Records label folded in 1994, Prince continued to record at Paisley Park Studios, eventually living there in the final years of his life. He was found dead in his estate's elevator on April 21, 2016. In the basement, there is a vault that held unreleased material; the contents have been since removed and relocated to a studio in Los Angeles. An urn in the shape of Paisley Park, which contains Prince's ashes, was on display in Paisley Park's main entrance for a period of time after his death; after being moved into the vault, the urn was temporarily brought back out in 2021 for the fifth anniversary of his death, only to be removed once again.

In Their Own Story

After Prince's death, Paisley Park was turned into a museum open to the public, with tours starting in October 2016. Graceland Holdings, the company that has managed Elvis Presley's Graceland since 1982, organizes the tours. Tours include recording studios, soundstages, and artifacts from Prince's personal archives.

Reader's Guide

After Prince's death, Paisley Park was turned into a museum open to the public, and tours of the Paisley Park Museum started in October 2016. Graceland Holdings, the company that has managed Elvis Presley's Graceland since 1982, organizes the tours. Tours include recording studios, soundstages, and artifacts from Prince's personal archives.

Did You Know?

• The complex shares its name with Prince's 1985 single 'Paisley Park'.
• Prince was found dead in his estate's elevator on April 21, 2016.
• The vault in the basement held unreleased material, which has been relocated to a studio in Los Angeles.
• An urn containing Prince's ashes was displayed at the main entrance and later moved to the vault.