The Los Angeles City Council has unanimously voted to approve the construction of the long-awaitedLucas Museum of Narrative Art in LA’s Exposition Park, all but ensuring that the museum has finally found its permanent home after three years of searching.
Designed by MAD Architects, the museum will house the extensive art and memorabilia collection of director and Star Wars creator George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson, featuring both paintings by impressionist masters includingEdgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and items from the Star Wars franchise, such as Luke Skywalker’s original lightsaber and Darth Vader’s mask.
Nearly one-third of the proposed building’s 290,000 square feet will be dedicated to gallery space, with other program elements including a movie theater, a lecture hall, a library, a restaurant, and several digital classroom spaces spread across five stories. A publicly-accessible green roof terrace will cap the building, while a 2,425-space parking complex will be located beneath. A new 11 acre park will surround the spaceship-like structure, its design referred to by MAD founder Ma Yansong as “a cloud of knowledge for people to explore.”
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The $1.2 billion development will be constructed entirely from private sources, with no taxpayer money. The museum is scheduled to break ground next year, with an anticipated opening date in 2021.
News via CNN.
Archy Naija 