The Empire is with Us

George Lucas Letterman Digital Arts Center a reality

Photo(s) by Luke Thomas

By Pat Murphy

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Out of love for "the best place in the world," and defiant of all betters, filmmaker George Lucas yesterday took sweetest kudos for realizing his $100 million dream of a digital arts film center in San Francisco.

Christened Letterman Digital Arts Center, the 23-acre campus in the Presidio is now the home of Lucasfilm Ltd., bringing together Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, and Lucasilm's corporate activities for the first time in the company's 30-year history.

"I'm very excited because San Francisco is the home of digital art," Lucas told assembled high persons, before spreading out for lush blanket, pillows, and engraved wooden box picnic luncheon for 2,000.

George Lucas

"Now the Bay Area has become a digital center. It's the only one in the world.

"I've lived in the Bay Area all my life. I love the Presidio, and I did not want to see it turned into a shopping mall."

It came close to that fate.

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) recalled the day during her first term in office when she was startled to find a budget revenue line item for $1 billion from sale of the Presidio for commercial development.

Barbara Boxer

She recalled "the brilliance of (Congressman) Phil Burton" who predicted years earlier, "The Presidio will be sold, and we have to get ready for it."

With the help of colleague Dianne Feinstein, and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the plan was abandoned after Boxer promised the City of San Francisco would never zone the Presidio "for sale of a single condo."

Nancy Pelosi

The bad news, however, was that the quickly formed Presidio National Trust...would have to pay for itself.

With his roots in the Bay Area, Lucas entered the bidding with all bets against him, as deeper pocketed real estate conglomerates salivated, and Hollywood scorned Lucas to come to his senses.

Creating the Presidio a paying enterprise Lucas did, with $100 million to contractors, employing 1,200 employees averaging $89,000 annually, and projected employee increase to 2,500.

Landscaped exquisite, by joint decision of two strong willed men, landscaper Lawrence Halprin and boss of bosses Lucas congratulated each other for standing their ground.

"I especially want to thank Larry Halprin. I didn't make him do it my way, but I didn't let him do it his way either," grinned Lucas.

Larry Halprin

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom

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