Lucas Museum sets opening date: Take an exclusive first look inside

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After astir 4 years of delays, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art connected Wednesday announced that it volition unfastened Sept. 22, 2026.

The $1 billion, 300,000-square-foot depository — designed by MAD Architects laminitis Ma Yansong — broke crushed successful Exposition Park, adjacent to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, successful 2018. Originally scheduled to implicit large operation successful 2021, the depository deed its archetypal large setback that aforesaid twelvemonth erstwhile wellness protocols arising from the COVID-19 pandemic slowed advancement connected the project. In 2022 the depository pushed its debut to 2025, attributing the determination to planetary supply-chain issues that made procuring operation materials difficult.

Earlier this year, the opening was again delayed, this clip to 2026. With a steadfast day successful hand, the depository present has a small much than 10 months to enactment the last touches connected its 100,000 quadrate feet of accumulation space, featuring 35 galleries. Its imperishable postulation of 40,000 works of creation includes sculptures, comic art, children’s publication and subject fabrication illustrations and photography. Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Lange and Maxfield Parrish are among the featured artists. There volition besides beryllium a treasure trove of costumes, props, movie posters and much from co-founder George Lucas’ legendary movie career, including the “Star Wars” franchise.

“Stories are mythology, and erstwhile illustrated, they assistance humans recognize the mysteries of life,” Lucas said successful a statement. “The depository was built connected the content that illustrated storytelling is simply a cosmopolitan language.”

During a caller hard-hat circuit of the discrete areas of the museum, including a south-facing probe room and a expansive entranceway lobby, The Times saw a gathering that was opening to yet instrumentality shape. The room has 3 levels, 2 of which diagnostic balconies with curved woody railings that place the room. The walls are lined with honey-colored wood, and the immense expanse of the museum’s green, 11-acre parkland — with rolling hills dotted with autochthonal plants and much than 200 recently planted trees — tin beryllium seen done an arched slope of floor-to-ceiling windows.

The parkland — designed by Mia Lehrer and her L.A. firm, Studio-MLA — volition beryllium unfastened to the public, including radical without tickets to the museum, from sunrise to sunset.

The main lobby features a enactment of 3 solid elevators that lucifer pneumatic tubes, down which volition beryllium 2 theaters and a ample accumulation abstraction that volition service arsenic an instauration to the depository and its holdings. To the right, determination volition beryllium a cafe, and to the left, a acquisition shop. The galleries are connected the 4th level and a edifice volition beryllium connected the 5th floor.

The edifice aims to beryllium a eating destination for the city; Oak View Group was announced earlier this twelvemonth arsenic the museum’s exclusive hospitality partner. OVG’s London-based subsidiary, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection, volition instrumentality the pb connected the culinary offerings. The company’s different operations see London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Ra Ra Room astatine PHX Arena successful Phoenix and Curtain Call successful Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.

There is simply a plot planted connected apical of the museum, which visitors volition beryllium capable to visit, though the depository has not yet announced the introduction points for access.

In May, questions arose astir the fiscal wellness of the depository aft it laid disconnected 15 employees, galore from the organization’s acquisition and nationalist programming squad — representing astir 14% of the full-time staff. An further 7 part-time, on-call employees besides had their roles eliminated, the depository said.

Classrooms stay portion of the gathering plan and the depository issued a connection astatine the time, noting, “Education remains a cardinal pillar of the Lucas Museum.”