The Search for the Lucas Museum’s Future Location Continues
Filmmaker and entrepreneur George Lucas is currently in discussions with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee about building his Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art on the west side of Treasure Island.
Lucas has been attempting to build the museum for many years. His original site was planned for SF’s Crissy Field, but negotiations eventually stalled. In 2014, Lucas ditched the idea in hopes of securing land along Chicago’s lakefront, however, a lawsuit halted construction.
Mayor Ed Lee is now using the force to make it happen in San Francisco, proclaiming, “I never gave up on the idea. We have a chance to bring it back, and I want to be open and positive about it.”
A final decision has not yet been made about the museum’s location. If SF does not pan out, Los Angeles has also expressed interest in having the museum within city limits. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti recently declared, “We would welcome it in Los Angeles.”
It feels most appropriate for the museum to exist in San Francisco, given the fact that Lucas was born and raised in the Northern California city of Modesto. San Francisco’s underground film-making scene also helped solidify the foundation of Lucas’ illustrious career. In the early ’70s when Lucas was living with his first wife Marcia Griffin in the Bay Area, he wrote a first draft of Star Wars, inspired by Flash Gordon. In 1978, Lucas began building his movie ranch and workplace, Skywalker Ranch in Nicasio within Marin County.
The current headquarters of Lucasfilm movie studio is The Letterman Digital and New Media Arts Center located in the Presidio. It houses Industrial Light & Magic, animation, consumer-producers, digital media, and franchise management.
George Lucas once shared two relevant quotes, “If you want to be successful in a particular field, perseverance is one of the key qualities” and “you have to find something that you love enough to jump over hurdles and break through the brick walls.” We hope this applies here and that the museum eventually gets built here in San Francisco.
Currently, there is lots of development activity happening on Treasure Island, with much of it focused on the arts. We’ll keep you posted as more news is revealed.
January 10 Update: Unfortunately the Lucas Board has selected Los Angeles as the site of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Mayor Ed Lee issued the following statement after hearing the news, “I am disappointed, of course, but must respect the decision by Mr. Lucas, Ms. Hobson and the Board of Directors to site the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at the Existing Exposition Park in California for our state’s residents to someday enjoy.”
