Time may be running out for the colorful mural of Jesus that overlooks Interstate 35W near downtown Minneapolis.
Love Power Church, which commissioned the current version of the mural on its rented building in 1997, will have to find a new home when its lease is up at the end of December, said Janet Gullickson, a pastor at the church.
Gullickson said the landlord, Surinder Singh, plans to rent out the space around the time the Super Bowl is played on Feb. 4.
"We asked him if we could stay there and work around that, but no," Gullickson said. "I asked him about the mural and he said that might have to come down before the Super Bowl."
Singh, who could not be reached for comment, owns several parcels on Washington Avenue between the interstate and 15th Av. S., and told Gullickson he plans to tear down the building the church has rented for 18 years, she said.
"We kind of knew this was coming eventually," said Gullickson, who is looking for a new space. "We'd like to still be in the city, because we have a food shelf and a clothing closet for the homeless."
A painting of Jesus has graced the west wall of the building for decades, but a version of the giant image that's now visible was first painted in 1997, two years after Love Power Church started renting the space. The mural includes a large rainbow and a painting of Jesus with outstretched arms.
Gullickson said there are "no hard feelings" toward Singh, the landlord. "It was just about the money and his future plans, because he owns the whole block," she said.
!["Love Power" Jesus mural in Minneapolis' West Bank neighborhood Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, in Minneapolis, MN.] DAVID JOLES ï david.joles@startribune.com The history behind the West Bank Jesus mural and the place it plays in local imaginations. Generations of Minnesotans have encountered the mural while driving on 35W. Where did it come from? Who painted it? What does it mean to all of us?](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/5QO6ZGPNINSFG7AE4ED7F4M4SY.jpg?&w=1080)
