CHICAGO: For George Lucas, Chicago might as well be a galaxy far, far away.
The “Star Wars” creator invented an entire sci-fi universe and multibillion-dollar empire. But he could not manage to build his legacy museum in the US city.
Thwarted by local politics, the 72-year-old filmmaker said Friday that the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art would now be built somewhere in California.
Lucas had planned to spend some $700 million of his own fortune to build the museum on prime real estate along Lake Michigan, which the city offered to lease for 99 years at a price of $10.
That plan, which would have seen the museum replace a parking lot, went awry soon after it was announced in 2014 when a local preservation group sued to prevent construction. The group contended that the museum, which would have replaced a parking lot, should be built at another site away from the lakefront, which is considered land reserved for public use.
Lucas on Friday strongly criticized the group’s stance.
“No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot,” he said in a statement.
The filmmaker had hoped to display his formidable art collection that focuses on narrative forms such as comic art, photography, film, and magazine illustrations, as well as “Star Wars” memorabilia.
Within minutes of Lucas’ announcement Friday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel lamented the loss of “a gift worth approximately $1.5 billion.”
“Chicago’s loss will be another city’s gain,” Emanuel said in a statement. “This missed opportunity has not only cost us what will be a world-class cultural institution, it has cost thousands of jobs for Chicago workers, millions of dollars in economic investment and countless educational opportunities for Chicago’s youth.”
The “Star Wars” creator invented an entire sci-fi universe and multibillion-dollar empire. But he could not manage to build his legacy museum in the US city.
Thwarted by local politics, the 72-year-old filmmaker said Friday that the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art would now be built somewhere in California.
Lucas had planned to spend some $700 million of his own fortune to build the museum on prime real estate along Lake Michigan, which the city offered to lease for 99 years at a price of $10.
That plan, which would have seen the museum replace a parking lot, went awry soon after it was announced in 2014 when a local preservation group sued to prevent construction. The group contended that the museum, which would have replaced a parking lot, should be built at another site away from the lakefront, which is considered land reserved for public use.
Lucas on Friday strongly criticized the group’s stance.
“No one benefits from continuing their seemingly unending litigation to protect a parking lot,” he said in a statement.
The filmmaker had hoped to display his formidable art collection that focuses on narrative forms such as comic art, photography, film, and magazine illustrations, as well as “Star Wars” memorabilia.
Within minutes of Lucas’ announcement Friday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel lamented the loss of “a gift worth approximately $1.5 billion.”
“Chicago’s loss will be another city’s gain,” Emanuel said in a statement. “This missed opportunity has not only cost us what will be a world-class cultural institution, it has cost thousands of jobs for Chicago workers, millions of dollars in economic investment and countless educational opportunities for Chicago’s youth.”
