--- description: Director George Lucas says he will open a museum in Chicago showcasing both his 40-year career and his collection of American art title: 'Star Wars' Creator George Lucas Will Open His Museum in Chicago image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt568f80df2b254389/698699263bc999b13f1a43f6/ap259956361027.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Star Wars_ Creator George Lucas Has Chosen Chicago for His Museum by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 6:32 AM CUT  This 2013 file photo shows an aerial view at night of the downtown Chicago skyline. Star Wars creator George Lucas has selected Chicago to build his museum of art and movie memorabilia This 2013 file photo shows an aerial view at night of the downtown Chicago skyline. Star Wars creator George Lucas has selected Chicago to build his museum of art and movie memorabiliaKiichiro Sato—AP by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 25, 2014 6:32 AM CUT After [sort of retiring](http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/george-lucas-retiring-star-wars-director-shift-focus-building-hobby-films-article-1.1087618 "undefined") from Hollywood in 2012, director George Lucas [has announced](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chicago-gets-george-lucas-museum-714716 "undefined") that he will open a museum in Chicago showcasing both his 40-year career as a filmmaker and the extensive art collection he amassed along the way. Some have criticized the museum as a [monument to hubris](http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/can-you-imagine-a-george-lucas-museum "undefined"), but perhaps he’s earned it. Few dispute that Lucas has established himself as one of the [successful](http://bigthink.com/Picture-This/can-you-imagine-a-george-lucas-museum "undefined") and [influential](http://chronicle.com/article/Why-George-Lucas-Is-the/134942 "undefined") figures in the history of American cinema: this is the man, after all, who gave us _Star Wars_ and _Indiana Jones_. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is slated to open in 2018 next to Soldier Field. Lucas will put down at least $700 million to finance its construction. In addition to paraphernalia from the sets of Lucas’ films, the museum will house his [immense collection](http://www.presidio.gov/about/Documents/11%5FGeorge%20Lucas.pdf "undefined") of American art by painters Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth and others. He said in a statement that choosing the planned museum’s location proved a “difficult decision,” and only came after fierce bidding between Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The latter was his first choice — he grew up across the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in the sleepy town of Modesto — but he turned his attention elsewhere when he couldn’t nab a desired location on the city’s waterfront. A social media campaign led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to bring the museum to the crucible of American cinema apparently failed to compete with Chicago’s lobbying effort, which [the Chicago _Tribune_ described](http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-sources-say-chicago-to-win-lucas-museum-20140624,0,6741871.story "undefined") as “aggressive.” (Personal factors may have directed Lucas’ choice as well — Mellody Hobson, whom he married last summer, grew up in the city.) “This is a milestone for the city, but it is just one milestone on a journey as we build this new museum,” [Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said](http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/sneed-exclusive-chicago-get-george-lucas-museum/tue-06242014-346pm-1 "undefined") when announcing the decision. Chicago welcomed a [record 46.37 million tourists](http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-09-06/travel/chi-chicago-tourism-20130906%5F1%5Fchoose-chicago-international-visitors-percent-rise "undefined") in 2012. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2919719/george-lucas-museum-chicago/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2919719/george-lucas-museum-chicago/"},"headline":"Star Wars Creator George Lucas Has Chosen Chicago for His Museum","datePublished":"2014-06-25T06:32:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T08:36:29.747Z","description":"Both San Francisco and Los Angeles campaigned to host the movie-memorabilia and art museum, but \"aggressive\" lobbying by Chicago won Lucas over","url":"https://time.com/2919719/george-lucas-museum-chicago/","keywords":["movies","San Francisco","Star Wars topic","chicago","rahm emanuel","george lucas","museums"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt568f80df2b254389/698699263bc999b13f1a43f6/ap259956361027.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nash Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt568f80df2b254389/698699263bc999b13f1a43f6/ap259956361027.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lucas Museum-Chicago","caption":"Lucas Museum-Chicago","creditText":"Kiichiro Sato—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2919719/george-lucas-museum-chicago/","name":"Star Wars Creator George Lucas Has Chosen Chicago for His Museum"}}]}] ```