MUSEUM CAMPUS — Renderings of a smaller Lucas Museum of Narrative Art were revealed to the public Thursday night.
The new designs by Beijing-based MAD Architects show a 300,000-square-foot museum with three theaters and an overall lakefront blueprint sized down by 40 percent. If built, the museum would eliminate a Soldier Field parking lot.
The project, with a minimum cost of $400 million, would be privately financed and include a large public park. The museum, which would operate as a non-profit, would also host classes in media including film, painting and digital art.
“Our goal is to celebrate and explore the crucial role narrative art has played in every culture and every period in history, as a rich source of inspiration, communication and cultural significance through our collections, exhibitions, educational offerings and film screenings," Don Bacigalupi, president of the Lucas Museum, said in a statement.
The new renderings arrive a year after MAD's original design were widely panned and likened to a blob. The new design remains similar in concept, but is smaller than the original proposal.
A lawsuit filed by the Friends of the Parks group against the museum is still pending in federal court, but the judge presiding over the case asked the parks group earlier this month to amend its legal argument. Friends of the Parks said Friday it will still continue its fight.
“The new design doesn’t change Friends of the Parks’ position," Lauren Moltz, the group's interim executive director, said in a statement Friday. "The problem is not the design. It’s the placement of this private institution on public trust land. Our legal challenge is moving forward."
If approved, the museum is expected to open in 2019-2020. Check out more new renderings of the museum filmmaker George Lucas wants to build here:
And the Soldier Field parking lot (left) and the Lucas Museum site plan: 
