Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner says he hopes the City of Chicago wins in a lawsuit over the placement of the George Lucas museum. Lucas chose Chicago in 2014 over sites in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The City has been in a legal battle with the group Friends of the Parks over whether the museum should go on the lakefront. Rauner says it’s not often people like George Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson say they’ll give a 700-million dollar gift.
“I hope the Lucas family stays persistent and Mellody stays the course. I believe they’ll win in court eventually. I’m sorry the court process takes a while, but I think they should win because I think it’s the right thing for the people of Chicago and the people of Illinois.”
Friends of the Parks wants to keep the lakefront open, but the city wants the Lucas museum to replace a parking lot by Soldier Field.
The plan to build the Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts along Chicago's Lake Michigan waterfront is on hold due to the lawsuit. Lucas' wife, Mellody Hobson, recently said that the lawsuit has prompted a search outside the city for a place to build the museum.
A San Francisco Board of Supervisors member says the city has had preliminary discussions with George Lucas' representatives about building his museum on an island in San Francisco Bay, instead of in Chicago.
Treasure Island is a landfill turned into a now-decommissioned naval base that's under redevelopment.
