- Courtesy of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
- Museum Wars: The court battle is on
Friends of the Parks says it will make good today on its threat to go to court to stop the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art from building on a lakefront site owned by the Chicago Park District.
Cassandra Francis, president of the nonprofit park-advocacy organization, told the audience at a Better Government Association forum late Wednesday at the Union League Club, that her group will file suit in federal court on Thursday.
Francis said details will be available at an FOTP press conference set for 11 AM, but that “the basic premise is that this land is held in public trust.” According to the public trust doctrine, Francis said, the land the museum is planning to build on “is held on behalf and for the benefit of the public.”
Surprisingly, Francis said the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, which has figured prominently in FOTP’s objections to the museum site, is “the embodiment of this public trust doctrine in Chicago,” but “may not play specifically in the complaint.”
Stay tuned.