George Lucas Museum Is Coming to Los Angeles

After several years of deliberations and a West Coast fight between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the board for George Lucas’ new museum has finally settled on Los Angeles as the location for the museum’s future construction.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will make its home in Exposition Park, an attraction in L.A. that houses several museums and outdoor spaces.

“While each location offers many unique and wonderful attributes, South Los Angeles’s Promise Zone best positions the museum to have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship [sic]. Exposition Park is a magnet for the region and accessible from all parts of the city,” the board of directors said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.

The museum will house some 40,000 pieces from the Star Wars creator’s personal art collection, including 19th century European paintings as well as objects related to film-making, including storyboards, set design and costumes. While Star Wars paraphernalia will feature prominently, the museum is also set to display items from “The Wizard of Oz” and ‘“Casablanca.”

Lucas will fully finance the museum’s $1-billion construction and endow it with $400 million for operations, making the attraction an essentially free investment for L.A. 

“This is a collection of narrative art in a city that has the best storytellers and story makers in the world,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a news conference.