MINNEAPOLIS — In the Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis, the century-old building located at 1000 Oliver Avenue North evokes warm memories from people from all walks of life.
Built in 1926, the city-designated historic landmark is one of the more unique structures on the North Side. Towering over a residential neighborhood just a few blocks from Highway 55, this brick-and-stone gem totals more than 17,000 square feet, instantly recognizable by features such as the grand stairwell, arched entryway and elegant domes atop the roof.
Some know the building as Mikro Kodesh, the name of the synagogue that was located here from 1926 until the end of the 1960s and at one point was considered the largest Orthodox congregation in the Upper Midwest. Others know the building as the non-denominational Disciples Ministry Church, led by the late Pastor Paul Arnopoulos, who took over the space in 1980 and helped thousands of Twin Cities families here as a part of the church's mission work until closing in 2012.
Now, after more than a decade of inactivity, Paul's wife Jeanine Arnopoulos has placed 1000 Oliver Avenue North for sale.
Listing the property at more than $5 million, Arnopoulos hopes a new buyer can preserve the character of the historic landmark with the opportunity to develop several vacant lots around the structure.
She acknowledges the move is somewhat bittersweet.
"It's kind of exciting, though, because it's like a new chapter," Arnopoulos said. "I am looking forward to the building being used again, and having people come in the building. I'm hoping a developer will have a vision to be able to work with the community."
Mikro Kodesh Synagogue
To this day, the building at 1000 Oliver Avenue North retains many of its original characteristics from Mikro Kodesh synagogue. The words Mikro Kodesh remain imprinted over the front entryway, accompanied by many Stars of David and Hebrew lettering on both the exterior and interior. These prominent features seem to have transcended time, serving as a reminder of the neighborhood's bygone era.
"Even though the Mikro Kodesh congregation no longer resides at the location," the city wrote in its official profile of the historic landmark, "the building remains physical evidence of a once vibrant Jewish community in north Minneapolis."
Mikro Kodesh was one of many synagogues located on the North Side during the first half of the 20th century, at a time when Minneapolis had earned an infamous reputation for anti-Semitism. Dubbed by the journalist Carey McWilliams in 1946 as the nation's "capitol of anti-Semitism," the city's Jewish population faced significant housing and employment discrimination and could not hold certain jobs or apply to certain social clubs through most of the 1940s.
As one of the hubs for Jewish life in Minneapolis during this period, Mikro Kodesh served a large population of Eastern European immigrants, many of whom had fled persecution and violent anti-Semitic pogroms seeking a better life in the United States.
Bonnie Blumberg, whose father came to the U.S. from Russia, attended Mikro Kodesh as a child in the 1940s and 1950s.
"It was very important," Blumberg said. "Although there were other synagogues, this particular synagogue was more open, it seemed, to everyone. And so many people congregated there for different events. It was just a very comfortable feeling."
In June 1965, Rabbi Nahum Schulman -- a longtime fixture at Mikro Kodesh -- married Bonnie and her husband David Blumberg at the synagogue.
"I'd like to think that I was calm and relaxed, but pictures from that day would show otherwise," David said with a laugh. "It was a fun day, all and all."
Bonnie and David's wedding happened in the twilight of Mikro Kodesh's time on the North Side.
By the end of the decade, as the city's Jewish population began migrating out of the neighborhood, Mikro Kodesh merged with a synagogue in St. Louis Park and vacated Oliver Avenue North.
Just like that, the building went dark.
It remained that way for another decade -- until a minister by the name of Pastor Paul Arnopoulos came along.
PASTOR PAUL'S CHURCH
Sometime in 1979, Paul Arnopoulos -- known affectionately as "Pastor Paul" -- found himself cruising around north Minneapolis when a certain building on Oliver demanded his attention.
His wife Jeanine said her husband truly felt a calling.
"He was driving down Penn Avenue, and he happened to look over and see this beautiful building boarded up. And he was like, 'That building is incredible,' which it is. It is the best," Jeanine said. "With the domes, the Lion of Judah on the front of the building, the Stars of David. It looks like a Jewish temple, there's no doubt, you're not wondering what kind of building that is. He saw the building and then he inquired."
After months of renovations, Pastor Paul opened the non-denominational Disciples Ministry Church in 1980 and soon began his mission work in the same space. Although he preserved the legacy of Mikro Kodesh by keeping many of the Jewish symbols intact, Pastor Paul also recreated the space to his liking, such as by transforming the upper balcony of the sanctuary into a jobs training site for the community.
Over the next four decades, Pastor Paul and Jeanine served thousands upon thousands of Twin Cities families through his mission work, perhaps most notably through the church's famous food giveaways. The church brought in so much food that it utilized a forklift to raise the goods from the basement onto the main floor.
After a final food giveaway in 2012, though, the church closed for good.
"When we quit serving people in 2012, we had 11,000 households registered to receive groceries that had been in within two years, throughout the metro area. The building is very well known," Jeanine said. "It was just a real blessing to be able to be involved in the food ministry, seeing thousands of people that came in and received food. It was just a real blessing and [Pastor Paul] was an incredible, incredible person."
THE NEXT CHAPTER
After closing the ministry, Paul and Jeanine began exploring ways to develop the property and vacant lots surrounding the 1000 Oliver Avenue building. Sadly, Pastor Paul passed away in 2020 from a heart attack, leaving the future of the building to Jeanine.
"So then I had to make a decision with the board: Should I continue to try to get this project off the ground, or sell the building?" Jeanine said. "We decided that it was really, really important to make sure the community was served by the building because it is like a north Minneapolis icon."
Jeanine placed a "For Sale" sign on the front of the property and is now talking with potential buyers. The site on Oliver Avenue not only offers the opportunity to preserve a designated historic landmark, but it also boasts several surrounding lots that could be ripe for development. In all, the area spans nearly an acre at more than 42,000 square feet.
"I would like to see the building just being used for its intended purpose, to worship the Lord. And also to be community-minded," Jeanine said, "so that everyone is welcome into the building."
In recent years, many former North Siders from the Jewish community have had the opportunity to tour the old Mikro Kodesh site through an event known as "Doors Open Minneapolis." Jeanine said she has cherished these interactions and has learned things about the building that she never knew.
Bonnie and David Blumberg participated in "Doors Open" last summer.
"You talk about nostalgia, and that's the feeling I got when I was in there," David Blumberg said. "But it wasn't about all the years that had passed. It just kind of refreshed things."
Bonnie praised Jeanine and Pastor Paul for preserving the building so well over the years.
"I didn't see any changes, really," Bonnie said. "It was kept to perfection."
Moving forward, Bonnie said she'd also like to see the property at 1000 Oliver Avenue North remain a community hub.
"I'd like it to be something that people who live there now, would enjoy and use for something special," Bonnie said. "It could be for anyone of any faith. Just open, and welcoming."