Back in April, it was announced that plans were afoot for a Woody Allen Museum in Barcelona. The plans were preliminary at best, but there was a site earmarked – Pablo Picasso‘s former art school, The Escola d’Arts i Oficis de Barcelona. The site choice, however, has caused some controversy this week. The Guardian has the story.

The art school in the heart of Barcelona is owned by the government, but has laid empty since 2009. Despite political promises to turn it back into a school, it has remained empty. Now a group is protesting any plans to use the site for anything else, including a Woody Allen museum. They want to see the space benefit local residents, not tourists.

Allen and Barcelona have a long connection. He made Vicky Cristina Barcelona in that city, and the company that helped fun that film, MediaPro, are backing the museum venture, and have made materials with the name Woody Allen Center.

Not that the museum is anywhere near set, and other venues were already being considered. It seems people are taking the proposal seriously, and we’re fascinated to see how this all turns out.