If you felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if a million voices suddenly cried out, it might have been Chicago’s Friends of the Parks coalition. DNAinfo is reporting that the group has filed a federal suit to block The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s proposed lakefront location.
Friends of the Parks president Cassandra Francis complained of the “humongous scale” of the site plans, which threaten to “emasculate” and “degrade” an “already overburdened” lakefront. These objections are for the museum itself, and don’t account for any future Special Editions of the museum that could further threaten the lakefront with their grating musical numbers or awkwardly inserted CGI expansion wings.
Friends of the Parks had previously attempted to prevent the destructive power of a fully armed and operational Lucas museum, citing a 1973 Lakefront Protection Ordinance. Friends of the Parks attorney Tom Geoghegan is arguing that the land is held in trust by the state, and the city lacks authority to grant permission to build on the lakefront.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has previously sided with the Museum, insisting that the plans were “on solid legal ground.” City Law department spokesman John Holden described the objections as “legally baseless and defective,” and is filing a dismissal motion.
Francis clarified that her group is “thrilled” about the prospect of having the museum in Chicago, but it’s just that the lake shore is “the wrong site.” She added that she hoped it would not be necessary to arrive at an “ultimatum.” Francis even alleged that public perception is souring over the project, and could potentially cost Emanuel political points in the next mayoral race. That’s assuming the Mayor doesn’t just throw the entire political system out the window.