Chicago will be home to a new museum founded by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, whose controversial project received coveted approval this week from city authorities to become part of the Windy City's "museum campus."
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a 501(c) 3 non-profit, will take over 300,000 square feet in a spot near
Soldier's Field, NBC News reported. It will feature "Star Wars" memorabilia, along with sets from other movies.
“The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be an incredible addition to Chicago’s Museum Campus,”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. “The Lucas Museum will join the 56 other museums in Chicago to provide new cultural and educational benefits for generations to come. And the new parkland will add more open greenspace that will be enjoyed by residents across the city.”
Lucas and museum leaders sought approval to build in Chicago for more than two years, meeting with objections from a non-profit group Friends of the Parks, which objected to the museum, saying it would be "confiscation of public land" by a private entity, NBC said.
Friends of the Parks even filed a lawsuit to stop the project, which the group
amended in early October, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The amended suit argues that the deal the city cut with Lucas and the museum board is illegal, and also bad for the lakefront area at the park, the Tribune said.
The $300 million project, which will utilize no taxpayer money, is expected to be completed in 2019.
"The ground lease also says Lucas or an affiliate would contribute $40 million for a new parking facility on the west side of Lake Shore Drive, although some have questioned whether the new structure would mean an added cost for the city," the newspaper reported.
Judy Kim was named as the first director of the
Lucas museum, the Chicago Sun-Times said.
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