"Star Wars" creator George Lucas has picked Chicago over San Francisco as the future site of his museum of art and movie memorabilia.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel lobbied hard for his city to be chosen to host the collection. The museum's board will vote Wednesday to make the choice official. The board is also expected to change the name of the museum from The Lucas Cultural Arts Museum to The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Why Chicago? San Francisco was the favored horse in the race: Lucas has spent most of his career and personal life there. But his wife, Mellody Hobson, is a Chicago native. The two live in the Windy City part time.
Chicago also presented an enticing package: Chicago attracts about three times the tourists San Francisco does. Plus, the museum is expected to be located in a prime spot between Soldier Field and McCormick Place.
Lucas' collection includes more than his own film memorabilia and the special effects he pioneered. He also owns a number of Norman Rockwell paintings, which fit into his museum's storytelling theme. Other items include what may be the world's largest movie poster collection, as well as magazine illustrations pre-dating the film era.
Of course, Star Wars fans won't be overlooked: there's a scale model of the Millennium Falcon.
If the museum board and Chicago organizations go along with the site choice and museum plans, it could open in 2018.
