CHICAGO | Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

[pip]

Wait so I'm confused. Do the fotp have plans for that vacant parking lot or is it just going to sit empty?

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by XIII

It was "no comment" from FotPL, btw. Guess they are waiting on Blair Kamen to write one for them.

I also doubt we'll be hearing anything from FOTP's proxies in this forum either.

FOTP and their supporters are now pariahs, who couldn't see the value of a 1 Billion dollar institution for the public at large, and chose to hide behind a (fundamentally flawed) law that is counterproductive to it's original intent. Now they've cost us a large cultural institution and countless construction and permanent jobs.

This is travesty with unknowable repercussions for years to come. And I guarantee that FOTP won't stop with this - they're probably feeling so emboldened right now that I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to block the Obama museum in court.

Congrats, Mr. D and others who supported FOTP. You've won. Nothing. Hope you're thrilled with the results.

[vexxed82]

Originally Posted by pip

Wait so I'm confused. Do the fotp have plans for that vacant parking lot or is it just going to sit empty?

Of course not, that's someone else job. Oh wait...

For real though, their plan is for someone (not Lucas) to come along and foot the bill to build a public park, without buildings.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by chiphile

Yes, since many of us care enough to have the time to comment on these boards, I recommend contacting the donors of FOPL directly.

One of their largest is the Driehaus Foundation, which ironically, supports "Arts & Culture, the Built Environment, Economic Opportunity for the Working Poor, and Government Accountability/Investigative Reporting."

CONTACT THEM now, today, and ask them how their support of FOPL and driving away a billion dollar gift of arts and culture is consistent with their mission.

http://www.driehausfoundation.org/contact/

Can someone pull from the Crain's article info about FOPL's other donors?

When you call the Driehaus foundation to inquire as to whether they donated money to FOTP park to fund the lawsuit against the Lucas Museum, their response is 'We're not able to answer that question at this time, but you can leave your name and contact info, we will call you back.'

Sterling Bay has also been a key source of funding for FOTP.

[pip]

So its just going to be a vacant parking lot then. Wow great!! Great addition to the lakefront.

[chiphile]

^don't just call them, inundate them with email. that'll count for something, even foundations don't want to be completely unpopular.

[Mr Downtown]

What a shame that Lucas couldn't be more flexible about location, or more patient about the city's delays.

[mt_climber13]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

What a shame that Lucas couldn't be more flexible about location, or more patient about the city's delays.

A 72 year old man trying to build a museum has everything but patience

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by pip

Wait so I'm confused. Do the fotp have plans for that vacant parking lot or is it just going to sit empty?

It's going to sit empty - no plans. Good luck dealing with the Bears Fans and tailgating. Anything that would not be large and influential like LMNA is not going to work for that site.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

What a shame that Lucas couldn't be more flexible about location, or more patient about the city's delays.

What a shame that FOTP and their ilk couldn't see behind their own sense of entitlement for an asphalt parking lot. Try and spin it anyway you like, because you are in the tiny tiny minority here: blame the City, blame Lucas or whoever else you so desire, but the biggest blame by far falls on FOTP for their massive miscalculation that supporting asphalt over a $1 billion non-profit was a better reality. Relish your schadenfreude.

[wrab]

What a shame all 'round. But a great day if you like tailgate parties.

[sentinel]

I just spoke to someone at VOA who worked on the museum for over 2 years; They and others on that team were told that there will be layoffs next week, mostly because of this project being taken away.

They also mentioned that the museum will most likely be going to LA, based on internal scuttlebutt.

[XIII]

"Tell me the difference between Friends of the Parks and the Gangster Disciples?"

Rev. Michael Pfleger

That's the sound of a generation's worth of political capital swirling down the drain...

[intrepidDesign]

Please, please, please, everyone put the The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation ON BLAST about this. FotP aren't going to listen or care about anyone or anything but their funding. Email the crap out of these people. Call. Whatever it takes, just let your displeasure be known. The best that can come out of this is if we can get them to pul funding and crater this group of scumbag obstructionists once and for all.

http://www.driehausfoundation.org/contact/

[Randomguy34]

Originally Posted by rlw777

I think it's only fair that FotPl be forced to leave the city as well.

Wouldn't be surprised if Rahm passes a bill that can excommunicate a group of people, and then uses it on FoTP

[maru2501]

both sides were stupid

[tintinex]

Their Facebook page is lit up with backslash

https://www.facebook.com/friendsoftheparks/

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Randomguy34

Wouldn't be surprised if Rahm passes a bill that can excommunicate a group of people, and then uses it on FoTP

Here's the thing. FOTP obviously wants power to protect the lakefront. Most of us can agree that protecting the lakefront from being a bunch of malls, residential buildings, etc is completely fine. I think most of us can agree on that - most of us won't agree that blocking a museum, which would have been a gift, was actually good. It's downright terrible, especially given that it would have been right near 4 other cultural institutions that were on public land.

However, here's the thing. Let's pretend that this whole move has now made FOTPL not be favorites with the city and numerous other people. This could spell disaster for them in various ways. They could potentially be screwing themselves over by allowing this lawsuit to continue to the point of blocking the museum so much that they might lose the power in the city enough to not be nearly as effective in their mission.

If they would have dropped the lawsuit, it could have potentially actually given them more power with the city for other endeavors in the future. There is no way they aren't on the city's bad side now.

[Tom Servo]

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Chicago will forever be stuck with these rural-minded clowns impeding and blocking forward thinking design. These fucking Pottery Barn fucking BMW driving fucking "don't block my view" idiot neighborhood groups need to fuck off back to Naperville with their bullshit lawsuit.

Fuck Blair Kamin. Fuck FOTP. Fuck the Midwest.

We'll never see world-class architecture on the level of MAD.

[BVictor1]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

What a shame that Lucas couldn't be more flexible about location, or more patient about the city's delays.

What a shame that busy-body NIMBYS just cost the City of Chicago a $500,000,000 gift that would have has a positive long lasting impact.