San Francisco Mayor Wants To Keep George Lucas Museum In City
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP) -- It may seem like a long time ago in a galaxy far away but it has only been three months since the Presidio Trust nixed plans for George Lucas to build a museum and cultural center across from Crissy Field.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee issued a statement on Friday asking his staff to come up with a short list of possible sites to keep the famed local filmmaker's project in the City By The Bay, even as Lucas says he is beginning to consider other locations, with Chicago among the presumed frontrunners.
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has told a dozen civic leaders to find a potential location to house Lucas' collection of art and filmmaking memorabilia.
The creator of "Star Wars" is married to Chicago businesswoman Mellody Hobson.
Mayor Emanuel gave the group until mid-May to find a spot accessible to all Chicago neighborhoods and big enough to house the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum.
There is still a chance the proposed museum will be built on Chicago Park District land.
In San Francisco, former mayor Willie Brown has suggested that Lucas' museum be built on the waterfront, specifically at Piers 30-32, now that the Golden State Warriors have abandoned a controversial plan to build their new state-of-the-art arena complex there.
Lucas has estimated he would spend $700 million on the project.
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