“Star Wars” creator George Lucas announced Tuesday that he has picked Chicago to host his much-anticipated museum of art and movie memorabilia, in a major victory for the nation’s third-largest city.
San Francisco and Los Angeles also had sought the museum. Lucas said in a written statement that he hopes to open the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in 2018.
The selection was somewhat of a surprise, given Lucas’ close ties to California: He is a native of the state, Lucasfilm’s visual effects division is based in San Francisco and the headquarters for Lucasfilm and Skywalker Sound is across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.
San Francisco suffered a setback when it rejected Lucas’ first choice of a location near the Golden Gate Bridge. Chicago offered up a slice of real estate along the lakefront that is near other attractions, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural History.