Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

To be known as the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, it was originally planned for San Francisco, on Crissy Field. This version of the museum would have held Lucas's art collection, which is estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion.[11] After four years of negotiation with The Presidio Trust over the land in San Francisco, Lucas announced instead that Chicago would host the museum, due in part to interest from the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and the promise of land on the shore of Lake Michigan.[12][13][14] The museum would lease the land from the Chicago Park District for $1 a year.[15] Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti also made a bid to host the project, offering Lucas land in Exposition Park near the University of Southern California.[2] Youngstown Mayor John McNally has also proposed to Lucas to locate the museum in Youngstown, Ohio offering donated land in the city's downtown.[16][17]

Previous plan for the museum in Chicago

The proposed site on a parking lot near Soldier Field, Burnham Harbor and the Museum Campus was chosen by a Chicago city commission.[18] After the formal announcement of the museum's location on Chicago's lake shore and the later unveiling of its architecture, the project faced opposition again. In an editorial, the Chicago Tribune condemned the size of the structure, referring to it as "a monument to its patron rather than a modest addition to a democratic public space". The Chicago plan called for a museum building roughly four times the size of the one planned for San Francisco, though that size was later scaled back.[19][20] The Tribune also expressed worries about the cost of maintenance, to be absorbed by taxpayers, and the damage to the preservation of the lake front.

Friends of the Parks, a Chicago-area preservation organization, opposed the plan, citing a ban on development on the land set aside for Lucas. It filed a federal suit to block the development, arguing that granting the museum a 99-year lease "effectively surrenders control" of prime lakefront property to a museum that is "not for the benefit of the public" but would "promote private and/or commercial interests".[21] In March 2015, U.S. District Judge John Darrah ruled the land intended for the museum is held in public trust. Thus, the Illinois General Assembly is the only body with the power to allow construction to proceed, under certain limitations.[22] The state subsequently approved a law designed to enable such projects,[23] and the Chicago City Council approved zoning.[24] while the Chicago Park District approved a long-term lease and litigation on ensued.[25][26][27]

MAD architects, headed by Ma Yansong, was responsible for designing a building for the Chicago site, while VOA Associates was designated to oversee construction. Studio Gang Architects, already involved in the rehabilitation of Northerly Island, was selected to design the landscape.[28][29] The design was met with some criticism upon release. Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune called the structure "needlessly massive" and called for a "dose of restraint" to preserve the lakefront.[30] In Crain's Chicago Business, Greg Hinz derided it as "[yelling] and [carrying] on, in its own way defacing the city's lakefront as much as any teenager with a can of spray paint...".[31] Revised plans were released in September 2015, which scaled back on the size of the project but otherwise kept the basic design.[20]

Criticism also has been leveled against Friends of the Parks for its opposition.[32] In May 2016, Bill Kurtis wrote an op-ed in support of the Lucas Museum which appeared in the Chicago Tribune.[33]

On May 3, 2016, a statement released by Mellody Hobson, wife of George Lucas, stated that the couple was seeking other cities to host the museum after a protracted confrontation with Friends of the Parks.[34] On June 24, 2016, Lucas announced that the museum would not be located in Chicago.[35][36]

In June 2016, museum officials announced that they were considering sites in Los Angeles and San Francisco.[37] George Lucas announced on January 10, 2017, the museum he wishes to construct will be built and located in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, citing the proximity of University of Southern California, his alma mater, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Banc of California Stadium, other museums, and local schools in the South Los Angeles region.[38]

The museum that will be constructed was designed by Chinese architecture firm MAD Architects (MAD Studio) and architect of record Stantec.[39] The $1 billion project will have 300,000 square feet of floor space. It will be five levels, 115 ft. high and have a library, offices and two theaters. The museum is redeveloping the area surrounding the museum in Exposition Park. Plans call for redesigning the landscape 11 acres of park space with museum terraces.[40] In July 2020, Pilar Tompkins Rivas was named the chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections.[41]

Construction prep began in January 2018. Hathaway Dinwiddie is the general contractor.[42][43] The site parking lots were cleared and excavation work on the underground parking has begun. The project is expected to complete in late 2022.[40] The groundbreaking ceremony took place on March 14, 2018.[44][45]