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It made me so mad. I forever hate the FOTP now. I could understand their point if it was dedicated parkland and was being utilized all the time. But come on, they wanted to build it on a parking lot. The museum would have had a much more positive impact on the parkland there than the parking lot does. Tsk tsk.
Friends of the Parking Lot***
I'm sure FOTP, the city, and Lucas couldn't come to an agreement for a variety of reasons. Part design. Part the Lakefront should remain "free and open". Part that some fear the city is trying to strong arm a casino onto the Lakefront. Part that Lucas and the city didn't give "the good guys" their cut.
It made me so mad. I forever hate the FOTP now. I could understand their point if it was dedicated parkland and was being utilized all the time. But come on, they wanted to build it on a parking lot. The museum would have had a much more positive impact on the parkland there than the parking lot does. Tsk tsk.
Right, but it was bad manners on both sides rather than trying to constructively work on a consensus.
The alternate plan I heard for San Francisco (since they wouldn't allow it on Crissy Field which was also a reasonable argument) is to put it on Treasure Island in San Francisco is also ridiculous because it's not part of the urban fabric and isn't all that accessible for a major museum.
That alternate proposal I read about would have been more greenspace east of Lake Shore Drive (as FOTP wanted), a new major museum (as Lucas wanted) in a growing neighborhood, and it would have been seamlessly blended into the lakefront even though it was west of the tracks (which meant giving people an alternate easy crossing from the city streets to the lakefront). It seemed like it was the best of all worlds.
This is that alternate proposal, though instead of the odd tendrils of pedestrian bridges, I'd say make it a much larger slope and steps going down over a larger area to have it serve as a sloping or terraced lawn to the greenspace (converted from the current parking lot) to it east. It gives this grand dual entrances of the lakefront and the city. If it results in actual cost to the city (rather than the zero cost it was originally offered as), then it's likely well worth it because it brings so many other benefits. Unfortunately, the bad blood meant people deriding not the location of the museum but the museum and the tastes and general everything of the person gifting the museum and that really devolved into something pretty terrible. An actively conciliatory movement to try to bring the museum back in this form would be a longshot, but it still seems like it's well worth it.
Right, but it was bad manners on both sides rather than trying to constructively work on a consensus.
The alternate plan I heard for San Francisco (since they wouldn't allow it on Crissy Field which was also a reasonable argument) is to put it on Treasure Island in San Francisco is also ridiculous because it's not part of the urban fabric and isn't all that accessible for a major museum.
That alternate proposal I read about would have been more greenspace east of Lake Shore Drive (as FOTP wanted), a new major museum (as Lucas wanted) in a growing neighborhood, and it would have been seamlessly blended into the lakefront even though it was west of the tracks (which meant giving people an alternate easy crossing from the city streets to the lakefront). It seemed like it was the best of all worlds.
This is that alternate proposal, though instead of the odd tendrils of pedestrian bridges, I'd say make it a much larger slope and steps going down over a larger area to have it serve as a sloping or terraced lawn to the greenspace (converted from the current parking lot) to it east. It gives this grand dual entrances of the lakefront and the city. If it results in actual cost to the city (rather than the zero cost it was originally offered as), then it's likely well worth it because it brings so many other benefits. Unfortunately, the bad blood meant people deriding not the location of the museum but the museum and the tastes and general everything of the person gifting the museum and that really devolved into something pretty terrible. An actively conciliatory movement to try to bring the museum back in this form would be a longshot, but it still seems like it's well worth it.
Yeah I think that was one thing that was shady, with so many available places this museum could have gone to many other spots throughout the city. If anything placing the Museum in neighbrohoods like Wicker Park, Logan Square, the Old Finkl site in Lincoln Park, or out by where Cabrini Green used to be could have encouraged tourists to explore more of Chicago and bring in some tourism dollars to other parts of the city that normally don't see it.
I actually think where the MegaMall is in Logan Square would have been perfect as it would enhance the Logan Square boom, its right of the train line, and encourages visitors to see other parts of Chicago and spread the tourism $$$. The design would have had to change as the lot is more narrow and rectangular, but it would have been interesting to place a museum like that in a neighborhood like that.
^ There were other sites explored, like near the MSI. Ultimately this one won out. If you know what Lucas's requirements were/are, you'd know why they picked this. He wanted a beautiful area where it would be easy for a person or family to spend an entire weekend day not only at his museum, but also in a park and at other educational institutions. Museum Campus is literally perfect for what he wanted.
^ There were other sites explored, like near the MSI. Ultimately this one won out. If you know what Lucas's requirements were/are, you'd know why they picked this. He wanted a beautiful area where it would be easy for a person or family to spend an entire weekend day not only at his museum, but also in a park and at other educational institutions. Museum Campus is literally perfect for what he wanted.
I totally agree, I wish it could go there. It's just such shame with so many other places it could go to that we just didn't get it all.
IMO the LSE plan is terrible...but that's just me. The original site is the best location for it.
Oh good, we disagree. I think the original site was better for the museum, but intractable and not better in terms of getting more parkland which was paramount to the main opposition.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nukua
Yeah I think that was one thing that was shady, with so many available places this museum could have gone to many other spots throughout the city. If anything placing the Museum in neighbrohoods like Wicker Park, Logan Square, the Old Finkl site in Lincoln Park, or out by where Cabrini Green used to be could have encouraged tourists to explore more of Chicago and bring in some tourism dollars to other parts of the city that normally don't see it.
I actually think where the MegaMall is in Logan Square would have been perfect as it would enhance the Logan Square boom, its right of the train line, and encourages visitors to see other parts of Chicago and spread the tourism $$$. The design would have had to change as the lot is more narrow and rectangular, but it would have been interesting to place a museum like that in a neighborhood like that.
Guy wanted a lakefront location with a large body of water fronting it for some reason--too bad he can't be dissuaded from that so it was never really up for discussion. Other parts that could have worked were getting a deal on the large parcels on the east bank of the Chicago River just south of the Loop where there are currently massive lots with no development. There are development plans announced for them now, but there weren't when this museum was still looking for a place to go. However, the Chicago River isn't a particularly open body of water so it probably wouldn't have flown for Lucas.
My thing is--there is a potential plan that looks like it could work for everyone. Since that exists, I wish people would push for it. It's a site that's lakefront, preserves land east of LSD for parkspace (and can actually turn it into parkspace) and makes the museum more accessible. It makes sense--if only someone could talk FOTP to push that plan as an olive branch of sorts. This proposal would be a boon to the Museum Campus in general by allowing a broad pedestrian pathway to the entire area from the city streets.
Oh good, we disagree. I think the original site was better for the museum, but intractable and not better in terms of getting more parkland which was paramount to the main opposition.
Not really. The original site was going to add over 10 acres of park land that wasn't even park land currently. The only reason why FOTPL didn't oppose the LSE site (except they ended up opposing it shortly after) was because there was already a building there that would be replaced with the museum. Moot anyway because they don't even support THAT.
I'm just curious as to where the museum will end up going. Hopefully they do a good job with it and whichever city gets it will get a great gift
Not really. The original site was going to add over 10 acres of park land that wasn't even park land currently. The only reason why FOTPL didn't oppose the LSE site (except they ended up opposing it shortly after) was because there was already a building there that would be replaced with the museum. Moot anyway because they don't even support THAT.
I'm just curious as to where the museum will end up going. Hopefully they do a good job with it and whichever city gets it will get a great gift
I'd wager that the site built over the tracks and a part of the LSD would have been far more palatable. You want to try to get a petition going to have it brought back to the city to this new site and see if that's true?
I'd wager that the site built over the tracks and a part of the LSD would have been far more palatable. You want to try to get a petition going to have it brought back to the city to this new site and see if that's true?
Unfortunately, a petition even if it had 500K signatures wouldn't stop FOTPL from blocking the hell out of it. Pretty sad..
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