The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools have received a $25 million donation from "Star Wars" filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, financial executive Mellody Hobson, for the development of the schools' new art hall, NBC News reported.

At the request of Lucas and Hobson, the new building, which is slated to open in 2015 on the schools' historic Hyde Park campus, will be named in honor of Gordon Parks, an American photographer, writer, film director, musician and social justice advocate.  

"It was important to us that the University of Chicago campus have a building named for an African American, given the diverse community in which it sits, and the outstanding contributions to our society by people of color," Hobson said in a statement.

Parks came to Chicago at age 17, in 1929, where his first-hand experience of urban life for African Americans during the Depression helped shape his worldview. A later stint in Chicago helped launch his photography career in earnest, and some of his most recognizable images were captured here. He is best remembered for his photographic essays for Life magazine and as the director of the 1971 film, Shaft

"We believe in the power of art to transform lives and communities," Lucas in a statement. "Gordon Parks' work did just that. Keeping his example at the heart of one of the nation's outstanding urban schools will serve to inspire future generations for many years to come."

The Gordon Parks Arts Hall will support programs in theater, music and the visual arts with three new performance halls, studios, rehearsal and practice rooms, and a digital media lab, according to a press release from the school.

"This generous grant will amplify the role of the arts within the core of the distinctive education offered by the Laboratory Schools, and create new opportunities for imagining the role of the arts within the curriculum," University President Robert J. Zimmer said in a statement. "Naming the arts hall for Gordon Parks, who had roots in Chicago, resonates deeply with the mission of the schools. We are very grateful to Mellody and George for this extraordinary support, which will have an impact for generations to come."

The donation marks the successful conclusion of the successful conclusion of the Lab+ Campaign, which raised $80 million in support of the Laboratory Schools, far surpassing the original $40 million goal.