Fantastic Almanac: George Lucas Museum? San Francisco & Chicago Mayors in Battle of Galactic Proportions

Artist concept of the proposed George Lucas museum for San Francisco.

Mark Turner

Fantastic Almanac

05/31/2014

"On behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, I write to propose an extraordinary location along our City's waterfront as the iconic new home for the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum,"San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee wrote those words to George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Skywalker Sound, and Industrial Light and Magic - just to name a few. The location would be on the city's scenic waterfront and serve as the 'future home of the Star Wars creator's lifetime collection of art and movie memorabilia', reported Fox News.

San Francisco's proposal comes less than a week after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a similar offer to the filmmaker. Lucas has called Chicago his second home. His wife also hails from the Second City.

From Wikipedia:

"In June 2013, it was reported Lucas proposed establishing a museum, the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, to be built on Crissy Field near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco which would display Lucas' large collection of illustrations and pop art, with an estimated value of more than $1 billion. According to the report, Lucas offered to pay the estimated $300 million cost of constructing the museum, and would endow it with $400 million when it opens, and eventually add an additional $400 million to its endowment. However, after four years of fruitless talks with The Presidio Trust, this institution might now be destined for Chicago instead. The Chicago Tribune reported that Lucas had this to say when pressed on the topic:"The city of Chicago has enthusiastically welcomed me and I consider Chicago to be my second home," Lucas said in a statement. "I look forward to working with community leaders to see if Chicago can become home to the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum. " The office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel confirmed that talks between the two were ongoing. A potential lakefront site in Chicago was proposed in May 2014."

A San Francisco Examiner editorial from October 27th of 2013, complained about the proposed site.

"The museum design is a monolithic, domed structure that appears as if it would be more at home at the nearby Palace of Fine Arts than in the Presidio. The design and the use of the building, a nearly totally indoors experience, does not jibe with how residents and visitors use the area, especially Crissy Field."

Basically, 'we don't need your eyesore of a Star Wars building'.

It seems that with all of the problems of putting a museum in California, the final spot may very well be in Chicago.

Story sources: ABC News Fox News SFExaminer Editorial