Dive Brief:
- George Lucas, according to his wife Mellody Hobson, is fed up with all the Chicago red tape and is now considering other cities for his $400 million Museum of Narrative Art, the Associated Press reported.
- A Friends of the Park lawsuit, which claims museum construction on any site along Lake Michigan is in violation of city development laws, is holding up the museum's progress.
- Lucas' proposal to build the museum in San Francisco was turned down by the city before he decided on Chicago, and now other cities like Oakland, CA, are courting Lucas to consider them as alternate sites.
Dive Insight:
The Friends of the Park, refusing to make any concessions said they would also block attempts to build the museum on a nearby site as well, according to the AP. Hobson fired back and said she and Lucas were trying to give the city a "philanthropic gift" and that the Friends of the Park are harming the city Chicago if they prevent that from happening.
According to Hobson, the latest alternate plan, also lakefront, would see the city gain 12 acres of parkland. That option would cost Lucas $743 million but would cost the city $1.2 billion to replace the demolished convention center currently on the site. The Friends of the Park said that property is also public trust land and that they "will continue to fight for our lakefront to remain open, free and clear."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who managed to lure Lucas to Chicago when San Francisco turned the museum plan down, said via a spokesperson that the Friends of the Park group was "impossible to work with" because of their "inconsistent and incoherent positions."
When completed — wherever that may be — the museum will house pieces from Lucas' personal art collection, as well as memorabilia from the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" film franchises.
