Filmmaker George Lucas wants everybody to see his movies, but not where they're made.
The "Star Wars" creator's latest plan for moviemaking magic is also an architectural treat: a "three-story digital technology fortress" on the site of the former Grady Ranch in a secluded part of Lucas Valley in Marin County, Calif.,according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Lucas proposes to build on-site a 263,000-square foot building, where 340 employees — and actors and guests — will be able to avail themselves of film stages, screening rooms, a cafe, a day car, a gym, sleeping quarters and underground parking for 202 cars and 24 bicycles.
All this will be hidden from view by a man-made knoll.
Nine bridges to span Miller, Grady and Landmark creeks will be built, and there's also a plan to dig a cave in which Lucas can age the wine culled from his nearby vineyards.
The building will look similar to either the Mission-style St. Vincent's School for Boys or the Casa Grande at Hearst Castle in San Simeon, depending on who you ask.
The 187-acre project is not far away from Lucas's existing facilities at the 2,500-acre Skywalker Ranch.
The plan seems destined for approval, according to reports: a less-intensive plan was already green-lighted by Marin County officials, the newspaper reported. This one will go through the public process next year.
While there's certainly a similarity, George Lucas's name is not literally on Lucas Valley: the area is named for a 19th-century rancher, not the director.
No comments:
Post a Comment