After competing with several entities in a tight competition for the valuable land in San Francisco that was once a seaside military base, George Lucas won the right in June of 1999 to relocate an ever-expanding Industrial Light Magic special effects company to 23 acres of the Presidio.  A massive $350 million, 1,500-employee corporate campus will replace the former ILM location in San Rafael.  LucasArts, Lucas Learning Ltd., Lucas Online, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation will also move to the site.  Lucas' proposal includes plans for a high-tech Presidio museum and a seven acre "Great Lawn" that will be open to the public.

Although the completion of Revenge of the Sith may mark the end of Star Wars films for the foreseeable future, it is the beginning of a new age for Lucasfilm.  This summer, the move to the new Skywalker campus overlooking the Golden Gate bridge will happen.

Once the undisputed leader of digital special effects, Lucasfilm faces more competition than ever.  The Letterman Digital Arts Center is named for the military hospital that previously occupied the site.  The new campus will include previously unimagined computing power along with a talented staff, studios, cafeteria, fitness center, gift shop, museum, and a public park.  A great deal of space will be open for enjoyment by the public.

Note the buildings in the lower right of the photo above.  They wouldn't be out of place on the idyllic world of Naboo.

THE RANCH TODAY

In the dozen years since my visit, I've collected enough articles about the Ranch to give me an idea of the expansions Lucas had made. George's original vision for the property included many buildings created through the generations by an ever-expanding family. Today these buildings exist around the main ranch house and are home to Skywalker Sound; an archive of props, models, and matte paintings; and guest cottages with unique themes based on historic figures who contributed to film including Orson Wells, John Huston, Eisenstein, and George Gershwin. In fact, the Ranch is home to almost everything necessary for making a film. There's no need to venture to Hollywood during a Lucasfilm production! Whatever isn't available or, by choice isn't utilized on Skywalker Ranch, is within reach of Ranch personnel by means of an ultra high-speed digital transmission. New Prequil footage shot in England was very likely beamed daily to the Ranch for review.

Though Lucas has been a proponent of technology, he isn't obsessed. When asked about technology by the press, he commented, "I have computer scientists working for me who are the best in the world. You get to do much more things producing. You can produce four or five projects at one time. I enjoy getting more work done. At heart I am an artist because I spent my whole life making movies I love to make. I live to make movies. That's all I care about."

The expansion hasn't been easy for George Lucas, or his staff. Remote neighbors of Skywalker Ranch have fought to prevent new buildings from being constructed. Although much nature is preserved on the Ranch and the buildings are far from sight, neighboring ranches have sited pollution and traffic as their main reasons for preventing the Ranch's expansion. Like most of Lucas' stories, however, this one has a happy ending. After ten years of legal battles, in October of 1996 George Lucas won the right to expand the Ranch as needed.

Lucasfilm has acquired four neighboring ranches adding more than 3,000 acres to the Skywalker Ranch.  The vast majority of this additional land will remain undeveloped with less than 15 acres covered by new construction.  This summer, plans included 109,000 square feet of office space, a 60,000 square-foot archives building, a maintenance facility, gatehouse, digital film production facility, day-care center, gym, a lodge, and cottages.