George Lucas Building Nearly Razed to Make Way for Public Park

Crews have been slowly demolishing a downtown San Anselmo building to make way for a new park with statues of Yoda and Indiana Jones.

Marin filmmaker George Lucas donated the downtown property to the San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce’s foundation last year with plans to turn it into a community park. The San Anselmo Planning Commission approved the project in January.

Now the demolition of 535 San Anselmo Avenue is almost complete and organizers with the San Anselmo Community Foundation are gearing up for a fundraising plan to help pay for the 8,700-squre-foot park. Click here to see more on the park plans, created by San Anselmo-based Blasen Landscape Architecture. 

Have you been watching the demolition progress? Upload your photos of the building demolition to the slideshow above!

Connie Rodgers, San Anselmo Chamber of Commerce CEO, said everything with the project is “going as planned.” 

The goal is to have the park complete by the end of June, when the chamber hosts the San Anselmo Art and Wine Festival.

Lucas has agreed to donate the statues and pay for the demolition of the building, but he is anticipating community outreach and donations to help build the bulk of the town center project, according to Rodgers.

The Star Wars creator helped design the park’s 15-foot-diameter fountain, which will feature bronze statues of the characters from two of Lucas’ most popular films.

Rodgers said the campaign is about the get underway, although they have already received their first donation — a $15 check from an elderly resident who has been very involved in the community.

San Anselmo investment adviser Robert Hunter, who is serving on the chamber’s fundraising committee for the park, said they plan on using an online “crowd funding” campaign, via the fundraising site Indiegogo, to raise the more than $100,000 they estimate is needed for the foundation to pay for the park construction and maintenance.

Hunter said the Indiegogo campaign will probably be live on May 1.

Before the building demolition began, the historic mural “History of Pharmacy” by Jose Moya del Pina will be relocated and donated to the Spain-USA Foundation for display at the Spanish consulate in San Francisco.

The structure housed the Rossi Brothers Pharmacy from 1931 to 1989.

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