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

After nearly four years of delays, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on Wednesday announced that it will open Sept. 22, 2026.

The $1 billion, 300,000-square-foot museum — designed by MAD Architects founder Ma Yansong — broke ground in Exposition Park, adjacent to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, in 2018. Originally scheduled to complete major construction in 2021, the museum hit its first major setback that same year when health protocols arising from the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress on the project. In 2022 the museum pushed its debut to 2025, attributing the decision to global supply-chain issues that made procuring construction materials difficult.

Earlier this year, the opening was again delayed, this time to 2026. With a firm date in hand, the museum now has a little more than 10 months to put the final touches on its 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, featuring 35 galleries. Its permanent collection of 40,000 works of art includes sculptures, comic art, children’s book and science fiction illustrations and photography. Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Lange and Maxfield Parrish are among the featured artists. There will also be a treasure trove of costumes, props, movie posters and more from co-founder George Lucas’ legendary film career, including the “Star Wars” franchise.

“Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life,” Lucas said in a statement. “The museum was built on the belief that illustrated storytelling is a universal language.”

During a recent hard-hat tour of the discrete areas of the museum, including a south-facing research library and a grand entrance lobby, The Times saw a building that was beginning to finally take shape. The library has three levels, two of which feature balconies with curved wooden railings that overlook the room. The walls are lined with honey-colored wood, and the vast expanse of the museum’s green, 11-acre park — with rolling hills dotted with native plants and more than 200 newly planted trees — can be seen through an arched bank of floor-to-ceiling windows.

The park — designed by Mia Lehrer and her L.A. firm, Studio-MLA — will be open to the public, including people without tickets to the museum, from sunrise to sunset.

The main lobby features a row of three glass elevators that resemble pneumatic tubes, behind which will be two theaters and a large exhibition space that will serve as an introduction to the museum and its holdings. To the right, there will be a cafe, and to the left, a gift shop. The galleries are on the fourth floor and a restaurant will be on the fifth floor.

The restaurant aims to be a dining destination for the city; Oak View Group was announced earlier this year as the museum’s exclusive hospitality partner. OVG’s London-based subsidiary, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection, will take the lead on the culinary offerings. The company’s other operations include London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Ra Ra Room at PHX Arena in Phoenix and Curtain Call in Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center.

There is a garden planted on top of the museum, which visitors will be able to visit, although the museum has not yet announced the entry points for access.

In May, questions arose about the fiscal health of the museum after it laid off 15 employees, many from the organization’s education and public programming team — representing about 14% of the full-time staff. An additional seven part-time, on-call employees also had their roles eliminated, the museum said.

Classrooms remain part of the building design and the museum issued a statement at the time, noting, “Education remains a central pillar of the Lucas Museum.”

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A drone view of the Lucas Museum. The 11-acre park is dotted with native plants and more than 200 newly planted trees.