George Lucas eyeing up Los Angeles as backup for legacy project
by Tom Anstey | 20 Jan 2015
George Lucas has said he is open to a move from Chicago to Los Angeles should the original plans fall through / Shutterstock.com
George Lucas has said that his proposed legacy museum to be built on the Chicago lakefront could end up going to Los Angeles, after the project met with opposition from an open space campaign group.
Last year Lucas picked Chicago over both San Francisco and Los Angeles, with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti strongly pushing for the museum to come to his city.
In November, a federal judge put a stop to plans for further development on the George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art following a lawsuit from opponents of the museum – known as Friends of the Parks.
Beijing-based MAD has been named as the designer for the project
"We still have to get through some lawsuits and things in Chicago," said Lucas during a recent conference call. "Once we make it through we'll be on our way. But it's still a possibility that Chicago will be unable to do it.
"The advantage Los Angeles has is that it's on the USC campus and I don't have to go through all the rigmarole of years and years of trying to get past everything. That's an advantage because I do want to get it done in my lifetime."
Pending approval by the Chicago Plan Commission, Lucas' 95,000sq ft (8,825sq m) institution will be built on what are now parking lots between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. Beijing-based MAD has been selected as principal designer for the project, while Chicago-based Studio Gang will work on the landscape. In addition, VOA Associates, also from Chicago, will serve as the executive architect and lead the implementation of MAD’s design.
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George Lucas has said that his proposed legacy museum to be built on the Chicago lakefront could end up going to Los Angeles, after the project met with opposition from an open space campaign group. Last year Lucas picked Chicago over both San Francisco and Los Angeles, with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti strongly pushing for the museum to come to his city. In November, a federal judge put a
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