April 27--More than 50 African-American leaders of churches, businesses and community associations announced Tuesday they were forming a coalition to support the city's proposed plan to build the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art at McCormick Place.
The group said replacing the convention center's Lakeside Center building with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' museum would help revitalize nearby South Side neighborhoods, and provide job opportunities for young people and construction contracts for minority-owned businesses.
"We do understand that eventually at the end of this rainbow there needs to be a job," Gerald Morrow, principal of Dunbar Vocational High School, said at the news conference. "And the Lucas Museum is one of those avenues ... to make sure that those jobs are there."
Morrow said he hopes to see his students graduate and find a "direct conduit" through apprentice programs to eventual employment at the museum. The proposed site is minutes away from the Bronzeville school.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel detailed last week a proposal to build the museum housing Lucas' collection of traditional and digital artworks at the Lakeside Center, a shift south from the original site, which the nonprofit group Friends of the Parks targeted with a lawsuit. The new plan requires the borrowing of nearly $1.2 billion, extending five taxes beyond their expiration date and state approval. The museum would be funded by Lucas at a cost of $743 million.
Friends of the Parks federal lawsuit against the original Lucas Museum site between Soldier Field and Lakeside Center was the last remaining barrier to the project. The lawsuit argues the proposal violates the state's public trust doctrine, benefits a private party more than the public and will tarnish the lakefront. Friends of the Parks has not announced a decision on its next step.
Coalition members said creating jobs is just one of many ways the museum could help the city's economically depressed neighborhoods.
Bob McGee, president of II in One Contractors, spoke about the difficulties faced by minority contractors and suggested the construction project could provide sustained employment for local workers, which could reduce violence and launch "many people's careers and futures."
A Lucas Museum spokeswoman said in a statement that the museum is estimated to spend $60 million to $95 million on construction contracts with minority-owned businesses.
The coalition estimated building the museum will create about 8,000 construction jobs.
Leon Finney, pastor of the Metropolitan Apostolic Community Church and organizer of the coalition, said the museum will also bring in tax revenue that can be reinvested in the city.
"If you can make something happen even if it costs a little, but for the long-term gain of 8,000 jobs and the opportunity to influence positively our young people and influence the neighborhoods that are around here, it's a long-term investment in the future of Chicago," Finney said.
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which oversees McCormick Place, also released a statement Tuesday supporting the museum's proposed relocation to Lakeside Center.
jkuang@chicagotribune.com
