The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has landed in Los Angeles. After failing to win permission to build on the grounds of the Presidio in San Francisco, and being blocked by litigation from accepting a lakefront site in Chicago, Lucas had simultaneously offered the museum to Los Angeles and San Francisco, a competition that depended in part on which city could get the museum through its legal approval process most quickly.

The announcement by the museum’s board of directors said the choice of Los Angeles allows the museum to “have the greatest impact on the broader community, fulfilling our goal of inspiring, engaging and educating a broad and diverse visitorship… Settling on a location proved to be an extremely difficult decision precisely because of the desirability of both sites and cities.”

The project is predicted to create 1,500 new construction jobs, 350 new permanent jobs, and between the building and collection, a $1 billion investment by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson.

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti welcomed the decision:

Art exists to inspire, to move, to educate, and to excite. Thanks to George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, millions of Angelenos and visitors will enjoy an extraordinary collection anchored in storytelling — an art that carries so much meaning in the history and legacy of Los Angeles.

L.A. is gaining a new jewel with the breathtaking Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — and its presence here means that a day at Exposition Park will soon bring unrivaled opportunities to be immersed in stories told on canvas and celluloid, be moved by the richness of African-American history and expression, be awed by the wonders of science and the natural world, take a journey to the world of space exploration, and sit in the stands for a world-class sporting event.

I believed in the vision for the Lucas Museum, and we went after it with everything we have — because I know that L.A. is the ideal place for making sure that it touches the widest possible audience. I am deeply grateful to Mellody and George, and to our educational, governmental, and cultural leaders for their extraordinary support in helping us bring the museum home. Now it’s time to build the vision.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee bowed out gracefully:

I am disappointed, of course, but must respect the decision… I am pleased that the museum will be built in California for our state’s residents to some day enjoy.

DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg greeted Lucas’ decision:

This is a real triumph for the city of L.A., and this will be a transformative opportunity for L.A… First and foremost for our residents who are going to have an outstanding cultural, iconic new force here — the force will be with us — and I think for tourism, and for the continued, extraordinary transformation of downtown Los Angeles, and for Exposition Park and the other museums it will be joining.

Art historian Don Bacigalupi will serve as founding president of the museum.