Four months ago, ground was broken for the $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Exposition Park.  Construction has now gone vertical, with a tower crane soaring above Vermont Avenue.

The 300,000-square-foot facility, which is being built as a legacy project by Star Wars creator George Lucas, replaces two former parking lots with a four-story, 115,000-square-foot structure that will serve as the permanent home for the filmmaker's 10,000-piece collection.  Other project components will include a library, two theaters, classrooms, and office space.

Chinese architect Ma Yansong is designing the building, which will have a futuristic appearance skinned with metal.  Plans also call for open space on terrace levels atop the museum, as well as 11 acres of new green space to be located beneath the floating structure.

Completion of the Lucas Museum is anticipated in 2021.

The museum is the latest large-scale addition to Exposition Park, following the $350-million Banc of California stadium which now houses LAFC on Figueroa Street.  Work is also underway for a $270-million makeover of the park's centerpiece: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.