The Lucas Museum Opens September 22: What It Adds to Exposition Park and South Los Angeles

One of Los Angeles' biggest cultural openings in years is about to arrive in Exposition Park.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens to the public Tuesday, September 22, bringing a 300,000-square-foot museum, more than 100,000 square feet of gallery space, a 13-acre landscaped campus and a destination restaurant to an area already home to USC, the California Science Center, Natural History Museum, Memorial Coliseum and BMO Stadium.

For Los Angeles residents, this is more than another place to visit on a weekend. It strengthens Exposition Park as one of the city's major cultural districts.

What exactly is the Lucas Museum?

The museum was founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson around the idea of narrative art, essentially the ways humans tell stories through images.

Its collections cross traditional boundaries among fine art, illustration, comics and cinema. The museum says its opening exhibitions will include more than 1,300 works spread across more than 30 galleries. Artists and creators represented range from Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Gordon Parks to comic, mural and cinematic artists.

The museum also houses the Lucas Archives, with materials from Lucasfilm productions including Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The broader mission is not limited to film. It treats cinema as one part of a much longer history of visual storytelling.

The building itself is part of the attraction

The museum was designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec. Instead of appearing as a conventional rectangular museum, the building rises over parts of the surrounding landscape in a flowing form designed to blend architecture and park.

The museum says its exterior uses more than 1,200 uniquely shaped curved panels. Whether someone loves the design or not, it adds an unmistakable piece of contemporary architecture to Exposition Park.

Los Angeles neighborhoods are shaped by cultural architecture as well as housing. The Getty Center helps define Brentwood, Disney Concert Hall helps define the Civic Center, and Griffith Observatory shapes the identity of Griffith Park. The Lucas Museum has the potential to play a similar role for Exposition Park.

What happened to the land around the museum?

One of the most interesting parts of the project is outside the building. The museum sits within a new 13-acre park and garden designed by Mia Lehrer and Studio-MLA.

According to the museum, the site previously contained asphalt parking. It now includes more than 300 new trees, meadows, an amphitheater, a hanging garden, public sculptures and landscaped gathering areas.

That is meaningful neighborhood infrastructure. The gardens are not simply decoration for museum ticket holders. The museum says the park is free and open to the public.

In a city where shade and public green space can vary dramatically by neighborhood, converting parking into a substantial landscaped campus changes how the site functions even for people who never buy a museum ticket.

What else is opening there?

The project also adds a major new restaurant. Skywalker Grill opens September 22 at the top of the museum.

It will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch and will be open to the public, including people who are not visiting museum galleries. The restaurant was designed by Rockwell Group and will feature panoramic views over Los Angeles.

This is one reason cultural institutions can have effects beyond their exhibition halls. They bring visitors who then eat, shop, park, use transit and spend time in surrounding neighborhoods.

Why Exposition Park?

Exposition Park already has an unusual concentration of destinations. USC sits immediately north. The Natural History Museum and California Science Center are nearby. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and BMO Stadium bring major sporting events. Metro's E Line provides rail service through the area.

Adding the Lucas Museum strengthens a district that increasingly functions as both a neighborhood amenity and a regional destination.

Does a new museum affect nearby real estate values?

It can contribute to neighborhood desirability, but I would be careful about making a direct value claim.

A major cultural institution can improve visibility, bring investment, add amenities and create reasons for people to visit an area. Those are real neighborhood characteristics.

But a homeowner cannot reasonably say the museum opened, therefore my house is worth a specific percentage more. Real estate values depend on comparable sales, property condition, location, schools, financing conditions, housing supply and many other factors.

The more useful real-estate question is whether an area is gaining amenities and infrastructure that make daily life more compelling over time. Exposition Park clearly is.

What could this mean for people considering nearby neighborhoods?

A buyer considering areas around USC or Exposition Park should think about both benefits and tradeoffs.

Being near museums, sporting venues, USC and rail gives residents access to an unusually large concentration of activities. The same attractions can generate traffic, parking demand and crowds. A quiet weekday morning can feel completely different from a USC football Saturday.

The E Line makes parts of the district accessible without a car and connects the area toward Downtown Los Angeles and the Westside. Large institutions can also attract additional restaurants, housing and commercial investment. Buyers should track projects around the area rather than assuming today's built environment will remain static.

Can you visit the park without entering the museum?

Yes. The museum describes the new park as free and open to the public. That may end up being one of the most important everyday additions for nearby residents. Museums are destinations. Parks can become routines.

What does admission cost?

Current museum information lists general adult admission at $25, $21 for visitors 65 and older, and free admission for children 17 and under. Timed entry reservations are required.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Lucas Museum open? Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

Where is the Lucas Museum? It is in Exposition Park at One Lucas Plaza, 3800 S. Vermont Avenue.

Is the park free? The museum says its surrounding 13-acre park and gardens are free and open to the public.

Does the museum have a restaurant? Yes. Skywalker Grill opens with the museum and is accessible to the general public.

Is it only a Star Wars museum? No. Star Wars materials are part of the collection, but the museum's broader mission covers narrative art across centuries, cultures and mediums.

Paul's take

One of the things I like about following Los Angeles real estate is that neighborhood change is not only about apartment counts and sale prices.

A museum, park, restaurant or transit improvement can change how people actually experience an area. The Lucas Museum adds all of those elements at once: a major cultural institution, new architecture, public green space and dining. That makes its opening worth watching well beyond opening weekend.