We’ve been podcasting for five years! Join us on this jammed pack special as we go through our updated Star Wars Dinner party lists. Then, we answer your questions submitted to us. Finally, Charlotte pulls some clips from some of our favorite moments from the past years (sources below!). All this and more on this celebration of five wonderful years of podcasting about Star Wars. THANK YOU for joining us — here’s to five more! Click here to download the episode directly.
Caitlin and Charlotte are finally here to discuss The Book of Boba Fett’s first two chapters, “Stranger in a Strange Land” and “The Tribes of Tatooine”! We were so moved by these episodes are we were thrilled to discuss them. Click here to download the episode directly.
Caitlin and Charlotte go through the strange but fascinating unfolding of Colin Trevorrow’s cancelled Episode IX, “Duel of the Fates.” First, we go through the history of this cancelled project. Then, we talk about what we liked, followed by what we absolutely did not about this script. All this and more on this episode of Skytalkers. Click here to download the episode directly!
Charlotte and I’s recent trip to Napa, California also included a few days in San Francisco, and you know we had to make sure we checked off a few Star Wars sites along the way. One of our favorite stops was at the Lucasfilm offices to take some pictures in front of the infamous Yoda fountain. During our trip there though, a few LFL employees let us know that we should also take the short trip up to San Anselmo, California to check out Imagination Park, which has its own unique Yoda Fountain. Imagination Park is a cute little pocket park in historic downtown San Anselmo, California that not only has a Yoda statue, but also an impressive Indiana Jones statue too.
Located in the historic downtown, this pitstop started me down a research hole about the history of Imagination Park and George Lucas’s life in San Anselmo: a town he has called home since the early 1970s. I’ve compiled some of that research here, and Charlotte and I also recorded a bonus podcast episode about it if you’d like to hear us chat about it in real time. Listen here! I work professionally as an architectural historian and spend a lot of my days doing deep dives on historic buildings and towns, so this was right up my alley! There are two main pieces of land I’ve conducted research on: Imagination Park and 52 Park Way (George Lucas’s home in San Anselmo). This post works well as a companion to the podcast episode with some historic photographs and aerials. I hope you find this information interesting, and I hope it can showcase a little how every building or piece of land can have a story attached to it!
2021 Google Earth Aerial: Locations of 52 Park Way and Imagination Park indicated in red. Also, unfortunately some of the photo quality is lost when I add notations!
52 Park Way
George Lucas first moved to San Anselmo in the early 1970s with his first wife, Marcia Lucas, after the success of American Graffiti. He has maintained the same property since then and has continued to live at this address ever since. George owns all of the property in this area (also known as Pine Hill) and some properties outside of the Park Way “circle”. This website notes that when George and Marcia moved to the property it was a “Marin landmark” which piqued my interest to see if I could actually find a historic photograph of the house, or any information about its history.
Google Earth Aerial of Pine Hill; everything within the red Park Way “circle” is presumed to be George Lucas’s property.
Two of the properties outside of the Park Way “circle” made local headlines when George sued the town of San Anselmo over easement disputes. Through that research though, came to light two reports that were written about the buildings set to be demolished on these properties. These reports connected the dots of the larger history of the area and its relation to George Lucas for me. This area of land was a part of a 45-acre tract owned by Minthorne Tompkins and his wife Harriot. The Tompkins were a part of a group of some of the first white settlers in San Anselmo. Minthorne built the first two-story estate in San Anselmo in 1870. As the building report notes:
In 1869, Minthorne and Harriot (wife) purchased 45 acres of land east of Red Hill, […] where they had a large house built in 1870, which was the first estate constructed in San Anselmo. […] According to Minthorne’s will, he deeded his entire estate to all six of his children. However, it appears that prior to his death, a portion of the original 45-acres of land, excluding the 1870 Tompkins house (extant), had been deeded to his wife Harriot and was sold in 1918 by her children to the Doherty Co., Inc., who subdivided the land as part of the Sequoia Park residential development. Streets were given names like Cottage Avenue and Bungalow Avenue, representing a particular image of the type of architecture that would be constructed within the subdivision.
Historic Resource Evaluation for the Property at 115 Sequoia Drive, San Anselmo, Marin County, California, Evans & De Shazo Archaeology & Historic Preservation
This lines up with the current location of George Lucas’s property and analysis of the only historic photo of the Tompkins Estate and George Lucas’s home reveal some similarities. Personally, I think the alignment of the second story bay window roof line, the central entrance, and the curved driveway are all good indicators that this could be the same building. Here’s the unmarked photograph of the Tompkins Estate:
Early 20th century photograph of the Tompkins Estate (Source: “San Anselmo” Book by Judy Coy).
Now here’s a marked comparison between the two buildings:
Again, some of the photo quality is lost when I try to add in the notations!
That is my case for George Lucas’s house being the historic Tompkins Estate! There were some other fun stories associated with two of his daughters that I thought I’d add in here. Minthorne Tompkins’ eldest daughter, Emily, married ornithologist Joseph Mailliard in 1881 in a lavish wedding. The couple lived nearby in San Geronimo and had two children together. Suddenly, in 1891, Emily disappeared. After nearly a month long search, and her family fearing the worst, it was discovered that Emily had run away with another man and intended to marry him. She and Joseph divorced and Emily married the man she ran away with…only for it also to end in divorce a few years later. Her third marriage appeared to stick, but after the scandal she never reconciled with her family or saw her two children again. The Tompkins’ youngest daughter, Ethel, is credited with the founding of the Marin Humane Society. The first location of the Marin Humane Society was in San Rafael. According to the organization’s history, “Since there was limited space for housing the animals, Ms. Tompkins also built cages and kennels in her San Anselmo home” (Marin Humane Society). While it’s not definitive, this could be the Tompkins Estate being referenced again.
Imagination Park
Imagination Park is the origin story for this research, and when Charlotte and I first arrived, we did a quick Google search on the park and were interested to learn that George Lucas had owned this land for a number of years and ultimately ended up financing the creation of Imagination Park after a request from the Chamber of Commerce in San Anselmo. On this plot of land, there was historically a commercial building that was constructed in the early 20th century. In the early 1940s, the building is taken over by the Rossi Brothers, who operated the building as a pharmacy until the 1980s. Shortly after opening the pharmacy, the Rossi Brothers commission the artist Jose Moya del Pino to create a mural on the history of pharmacy in 1945.
1919 Sanborn Map; Future location of Imagination Park outlined in red.
c. 1920s “Street Scene” of San Anselmo. The Tower in the middle is the town hall building. The building the far background is the Rossi Bros Drug Store.
c. 1940s Photograph; The Rossi Bros Drug Store is visible in the back of this photo.
1950 Sanborn Map: Just above “San Anselmo Town Hall” is a building labeled “DRUGS”. This is the Rossi Bros. Drug Store!
George Lucas buys the building sometime between 2008 – 2010 with the intent of making it a community center that featured something such as a park, a theater, or even a “ping pong” center. In the summer of 2012, the town of San Anselmo approaches George about donating the land and working with the city to finally realize the community center. They eventually agree to move forward with the park idea and commission two statues to be created: one of Yoda and one of Indiana Jones. Prior to the demolition of the buildings, a historic resources report is written by the San Anselmo Historic Society on the buildings. The report noted that the only thing of significance in the building was the mural by Jose Moya del Pino. George hires a local art conservator to oversee restoration efforts on the mural and to remove the mural from the building prior to its demolition. The mural was donated to the Spanish-United States Foundation and is eventually given to the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco where it is said to be on display today.
2008 Google Street View of the building as it looked around the time George Lucas purchased it.Photo of Imagination Park today (Source: Marin Independent Journal).
George Lucas Dedication of Imagination Park on June 20, 2013.
Jose Moya del Piño
Jose Moya del Pino is a Spanish-born American painter who first moved to San Francisco in the 1920s. He painted in the post-impressionist style and is known for his portraits and murals. He taught at the San Francisco Art Students League, San Francisco Art Institute, and the College of Marin. Much of his notable work comes from work he did as a part of the Public Works of Art Project. These include many murals for post offices in the Bay Area (as well as other states), and a mural for the lobby of Coit Tower in San Francisco in 1934. He is buried in San Rafael, California. The Marin Art and Garden Center’s Octogon House is home to the Jose Moya del Pino library.
Jose Moya del Piño (Source: Smithsonian Institute).
1949 Photograph of the mural inside the Rossi Bros Drug Store (Source: San Anselmo Historical Society).
Bonus Facts:
George Lucas was a part of the “Miracle Mile” beautification project. The Miracle Mile is essentially a tract of land that followed the old railroad tracks (which were removed) and is now a landscaped median. As a part of this donation, he also purchased a music store that was located along this median in order to move the building and renovate it so it did not have to be demolished.
Mill Valley is also known for the Mill Valley Film Festival, which was organized in 1977 and had its first festival in 1978. It is considered one of the top film festivals in the country today and Lucasfilm has been a sponsor for many years in addition to Star Wars characters making frequent appearances at the festival.
Photo from Twitter user @BADroidBuilders from the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival next to a photograph from the 1982 festival.
Conclusion
There’s not a great way to wrap up this post, but I hope you enjoyed seeing some of these places! As Charlotte and I discussed in the podcast episode, being in San Anselmo added a lot to our understanding and general feelings about George Lucas as a person. Seeing his involvement in his local community through some of this research confirmed for us that this is a place he feels deeply connected to and cares about. If you’re in the Bay Area, it’s definitely worth the short drive up to San Anselmo to see the park and surrounding area for yourself!
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to comment here or email me: caitlin@skytalkers.com!
Hi all! With the holidays in full swing, we wanted to share some of our favorite Star Wars-themed gifts and purchases with you all. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite items, including fan-made and officially licensed merch, that are perfect for the fellow Star Wars fan.
Current favorite art book: The Art of The Mandalorian Season One Listen, all art books are fantastic and our favorite thing to collect. But this one is really special. We’re also preordering Phil’s upcoming art book on Season Two, out next year.
Our favorite purchase ever: Kylo Ren Kotobuyika Figure This figure remains one of – if not the – favorite purchase ever. Kylo sits on my desk all day while I work. We both love the styling of this figure and that it comes with two interchangeable pieces, the burned Vader helmet and his own helmet.
The Bad Batch mania: Fanmade Lula and ShopDisney Lula Wrecker (and now Omega)’s Lula is just the cutest ever. We love our homemade ones made by our friend Savanna. Now Disney is producing their own, and they’re super cute. Fanmade Lulas are still amazing options. PS: Look at these super cute Lula earrings!
The coziest gift ever: Barefoot Dreams Mandalorian Robe and Grogu blanket Barefoot Dreams makes the absolute coziest blankets and robes – how cool is it that they have a Star Wars collection?
A cuddly companion for Star Wars movie nights: Grogu Squishmallow It’s extremely hard to find the exact extra-large Grogu squishmallow we got last year at Costco, but they seem to have redesigned the face and now it’s somehow even cuter?
Can’t go wrong with: Skytalkers Merch Of course, we love our own merch. Support the show by purchasing a shirt, mug, or tote!
Fellow stationery lovers: Erin Condren’s Star Wars Collection The ability to personalize Erin’s amazing Star Wars journals, stickers, and pencil pouches is so delightful. We both have so much from this collection.
Fantastic subtle Star Wars merch: Outer Space Outpost This shop has some of our favorite merch, too, including the amazing hat “Jedi want me, Sith fear me,” which gets a laugh every time I wear it.
Wonderful pins and artwork: Lorna-Ka Ksenia’s artwork is just so gorgeous. We love her highly-detailed pins and the amount of animation-based Star Wars merch she produces.
For fellow pin-lovers: Squadron Goals Pins Our talented friend Courtney creates the most perfect and ever-changing Star Wars pins for all fans. She especially produced beautiful Reylo pins and is coming out with a Ben Solo plushie very soon!
If you also like Dave Filoni: The Trapper Wolf Action Figure The packaging is cool and so is “Trapper Wolf” aka Dave Filoni.
Happy holidays and may the Force be with you! – Charlotte & Caitlin
*Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning the podcast will earn a commission if you click through a make a purchase.
We’re excited to bring you this partnership between Skytalkers and Cufflinks.com. When Cufflinks reached out to us with their Star Wars holiday catalog, we thought it would be a great opportunity to share some unique Star Wars gifts with all of you. Cufflinks.com offers a wide range of accessories like socks, cufflinks, money clips, tie bars, and pocket squares.
We really love how their products are subtle ways to show your Star Wars fandom in unexpected places. Their Star Wars collection features a lot of fan favorites – here are some of our top picks! Cufflinks.com was kind enough to offer our listeners a special discount code that you can find at the end of the post!
Star Wars Holiday Socks: Give us a fun holiday print and give us Star Wars characters! Put them together and you’ve got a festive party for your feet in a galaxy far far away. We really love the Yoda prints in these. They’re definitely the perfect sock for boots!
Star Wars Logo Money Clip: This beautiful money clip celebrates some of the best moments of the saga while keeping all your credits safe and sound from any pesky bounty hunters.
Pew Pew Pew Tie Bar: Who has not shouted, “pew pew pew” when a stormtrooper has burst on the scene? Add this to your look and see how many people point the “finger blasters” back during all your holiday get-togethers!
Luke Skywalker Lightsaber Bracelet:Inspired by Luke’s iconic green lightsaber, this simple wrap bracelet is the perfect addition to your Star Wars collection. Also, Caitlin loves the color green, and it’s just perfect and subtle to wear every day. A really cool and unexpected feature of this bracelet: It’s a clasp wrap bracelet and it unbuckles through the “on” button on the lightsaber hilt!
The Mandalorian Black Paisley Tie: We absolutely love this paisley print with a more subtle Star Wars addition: Grogu, Din, the Imperial, and Rebellion symbols, and more all hiding throughout the swirling paisley design!
Millennium Falcon Blueprint Cufflinks: Cufflinks.com features a number of cufflink designs based off of blueprints of different ships and vehicles, but the Falcon is by far our favorite! The attention to detail on these designs is really crisp and clear — you’ll be ready to go in 12 parsecs or less!
The Mandalorian Silk Pocket Square: Cufflinks.com has a lot of different Star Wars pocket squares, but this one might be our favorite. We love the crimson color and, beyond its original purpose, we honestly think it would be gorgeous to tie in a bow or loose knot onto a nice leather bag.
For Skytalkers listeners, you can use the code “skytalkers15” for 15% off your order from now until the end of December! Be sure to share with us if you do get some Star Wars accessories for yourself or a loved one this holiday season!
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