An artist's rendering of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago. (MDC Partners)
New Lucas Museum Could Be Headed to Treasure Island
27 June 2016
Chicago, your loss is our gain.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts is looking for a home (again). After George Lucas was met with some significant backlash in Chicago—a local community group calling itself the Friends of the Park launched a lengthy campaign against the Star Wars creator—Lucas and his team announced he will move the $700M project back to California. Yay!
Lucas originally wanted to build his project in San Francisco's Crissy Field, but an unanimous vote against the proposal sent him to Chicago. Now, Mayor Ed Lee has offered Lucas the west side of Treasure Island as a possible location. If the Treasure Island Development Authority accepts, Lucas will cover all the expenses (estimated at $1.5 billion), including a special ferry service across the bay. The whole zone will include 8,000 new homes, three hotels, restaurants, retails stores and entertainment venues.
The museum itself, designed by well-known Chinese architect Ma Yansong, will display items from the movie director's private collection, and will explore the intersection between storytelling and visual art through permanent exhibitions.
Treasure Island, though, is not only the option. Rumors surfaced that Oakland mayor Libby Schaff has also offered to host the museum, and if Lucas doesn't choose to stay in the Bay Area, it's likely he'll take his project to Los Angeles, near the University of Southern California, where the filmmaker graduated in 1967.