In March, crews from Hathaway Dinwiddie placed the final steel beam at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a key milestone in the construction of the $1-billion landmark in Exposition Park.
Aerial view looking northeastHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography
Spanning roughly a quarter-mile along the east side of Vermont Avenue, the museum is being built as a legacy project by Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas. The five-story, 300,000-square-foot building will include a library, theaters, restaurants, classrooms, offices, and exhibition space for Lucas' 100,000-piece art collection.
MAD Architects is designing the building, which will have an undulating exterior composed of glass fiber reinforced polymer - somewhat reminiscent of the royal starships from The Phantom Menace. Plans call for large terrace decks above the museum structure, as well as 11 acres of new park space to the south of the building.
Aerial view looking southeastHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography
The structure of the Lucas Museum spans above a now-vacated section of 39th Street, which will also serve as an entrance to the facility.
Although crews working on the project recently celebrating the "topping off" of the museum, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed construction of the project, reports the Los Angeles. The anticipated opening date of the Lucas Museum was recently delayed to 2023.
Aerial view of the Lucas Museum looking southeastMAD Architects
The project is the latest in a series of large additions to Exposition Park, highlighted by LAFC's $300-million stadium on Figueroa Street, as well as the recently-finished renovation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a planned expansion of the Museum of Natural History.
The impending arrival of the Lucas Museum and other new amenities have prompted new efforts to lay out the future of Exposition Park, including a new plans for green space within the park itself, as well as public realm improvements and active transportation infrastructure on surrounding streets.
- Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (Urbanize LA)
Location of the Lucas Museum of Narrative ArtGoogle Maps
