Opinion

George Lucas encounters the City of Cold Shoulders

This parking lot near Soldier Field is the proposed site for the George Lucas museum in Chicago. The plan has drawn opposition on several fronts. This parking lot near Soldier Field is the proposed site for the George Lucas museum in Chicago. The plan has drawn opposition on several fronts. Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close George Lucas encounters the City of Cold Shoulders 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A month ago, filmmaker George Lucas took his "Star Wars" museum plan to Chicago. He clearly was fed up with haughty, picky, billionaire-resenting, NIMBY-ridden San Francisco.

Well, guess what? It turns out that the Windy City knows how to put up a little gale-force resistance of its own.

Chicago's parks advocates are upset at the idea of more building along the city's prized lakefront; they're threatening a lawsuit. The Chicago Tribune editorialized against the lakefront site, and design critics are using terms like "vanity project" and "Darth Vader" to describe the museum. Grousing has emerged from Chicago Bears fans who resent the intrusion on sacred tailgating ground for games at Soldier Field.

A torrent of objections is casting doubt on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's deal-making prowess. It may be more difficult than he first thought to push the project through the approval process.

And, oh yes, there are echoes of that other issue that arose in snooty San Francisco: grumbling that the Lucas collection featuring easy-on-the-untrained-eyes painters and movie memorabilia is a bit too kitschy for a big-league city.

Lucas has yet to debut a design for the 15-acre spot consigned to him, a fateful step in a city famous for its standout architecture. This movie is a long way from over, but it's doesn't look like it's going to be a love story.

Meanwhile, there is that sweet spot back on San Francisco's Embarcadero that would be perfect for a museum. Even the waterfront's most ardent protectors agree.

We're just saying, Mr. Lucas, there's nothing like a dramatic plot twist that leads to a happy ending.

Let bygones be bygones in a galaxy far, far away.