Here’s Why This Famous Ozarks Giant Has No Legs & Feet

Christ of the Ozarks, Eureka Springs

Standing seven stories tall on Magnetic Mountain, Arkansas’s 67-foot-tall giant Jesus has been watching over Eureka Springs since 1966. The stark white concrete statue is as polarizing as it is massive.

Some call it majestic, others say it looks like a milk carton with a head. Love it or hate it, you can’t miss this massive piece of roadside Americana.

Emmet Sullivan, The Designer

He’s the guy who designed Christ of the Ozarks, but he was actually known for making dinosaur sculptures. Once he finished the Jesus statue, he went right back to creating prehistoric creatures at places like Wall Drug and Dinosaur World.

Surprisingly, Sullivan never got any formal art training and mostly worked with concrete. Before tackling the big Jesus project, his dinosaur designs had already been featured in National Geographic.

It Almost Had an Airplane Light on His Head

The statue was originally going to have feet, but they decided to remove them to make it shorter. If they hadn’t done this, regulations would have required them to put a red aircraft warning light on Jesus’s head.

The Federal Aviation Administration kept a close eye on the whole construction process and changed the height requirements three times during building. They only allowed it to stand at its current height after the builders got special permits.

Built to Survive Tornado Winds and Lightning Strikes

The Christ of the Ozarks can handle winds up to 500 mph and even has a special two-foot rectangle in the head that equalizes pressure during tornadoes.

Since it was put up, it’s been hit directly by lightning three times without major damage. The foundation uses more than 340 tons of reinforced concrete, and they made a special mortar mix just for handling the crazy Ozark weather.

Workers Had to Build an Elevator Just to Make It

You might think they used big prefab sections to build something this huge, but nope. Every bit of this seven-story sculpture was made by hand. The workers had to build a temporary elevator next to it just to reach the upper parts.

It took 17 local workers putting in six days a week for over seven months to complete. They needed special techniques to apply the mortar correctly, and Sullivan personally carved the facial details himself.

It’s Quite Controversial

Not everyone thinks this statue is gorgeous. Some critics have said it looks like “a milk carton with a tennis ball stuck on top” or compared it to “Willie Nelson in a dress.” Even some people who work there admit the eyes look “dead” and lack emotion.

The unusual shape comes from Sullivan’s own ideas about how to represent divine figures. He made the features simple on purpose so you can see them from far away. His design has inspired over 50 different artistic interpretations that you can buy as souvenirs.

The Statue Just Got Another Bath After Nine Years

In 2016, when the statue turned 50, it got a $20,000 makeover to fix up its appearance after decades of being beaten by the weather. They used special paint that resists UV damage and had to bring in climbers with specialized gear to reach every part of it.

The east side had serious erosion problems that needed fixing. As of 2025, they’re working on another restoration, since the last time it got cleaned up was back in 2016.

The White Supremacist Who Started It All

Gerald L.K. Smith set up this statue as part of what he called his “Sacred Project” in 1966. Smith had a history of white supremacist views and anti-Semitism. After his controversial political career ended, he moved to Eureka Springs to build the religious theme park he had dreamed about.

He raised money through a national radio ministry and personally checked out 167 different locations before picking this mountain. He kept detailed journals about building it, which you can now see in a local museum.

This Jesus Has Been in Movies and TV Shows

If the statue looks familiar, you might have spotted it in movies like “Elizabethtown” from 2005 or “Pass the Ammo” from 1988. It was also in the opening credits of “True Detective” Season 3.

The statue has shown up in more than 25 documentaries about roadside attractions across America. About 12 productions film there each year, and since 2020, it’s been featured on three national magazine covers.

That Time Protesters Hung a Banner on Jesus

The statue occasionally becomes a place for people to make statements. In 2021, a group called Indecline hung a banner that said “God Bless Abortions” across it. The staff quickly took it down.

Now they have security cameras watching the statue around the clock. There have been three more protest incidents since 2022, and the foundation has created specific plans for handling these situations.

The Statue Builder Is Buried at Its Feet

Smith and his wife are buried right at the foot of the statue they created, forever looking out over Eureka Springs from beneath their giant Jesus. Their graves have marble markers with Bible verses on them.

About 5,000 people visit these graves each year. In 2018, local volunteers added a small prayer garden around the burial site.

As Heavy as Five Hundred Elephants

Sitting 1,500 feet above sea level, the statue has 24 separate layers of white mortar on a steel frame. The whole thing weighs over two million pounds, about as heavy as 500 elephants.

The steel frame inside has more than 400 reinforcement points. The foundation goes 17 feet down into the mountain’s bedrock. Engineers carefully calculated the center of gravity to make sure it won’t tip over in strong winds.

The Face Alone Is Taller Than a Basketball Hoop

Just the face is about 15 feet tall. The hands measure around 7 feet from wrist to fingertip, taller than most people. When you visit, check out the fingernails, which are over 8 inches across.

The eyes are positioned at a special angle that makes them seem to follow you as you move around. After the official dedication ceremony, workers spent three more weeks just finishing the folds in the robe.

How it Saved a Struggling Town

Despite all the controversy around Smith, he helped bring Eureka Springs back to life. During the economic struggles of the 1960s, the town changed from struggling to thriving as a tourist destination with this statue as its main attraction.

Today, over 250,000 people visit the statue each year. Since it was built, it’s generated about $1.2 billion in tourism money and helps support around 200 local families through tourism jobs.

How to Visit Christ of the Ozarks

You can find Christ of the Ozarks at 935 Passion Play Road in Eureka Springs.You don’t need to pay anything to see it, though they appreciate donations.

While you’re there, make sure to check out:

• The cross monument nearby
• Three museums: Bible Museum, Sacred Arts Museum, and History Museum
• Hiking trails throughout the grounds
• A genuine piece of the Berlin Wall

For an extra educational experience, try the Holy Land Tour. It runs on days when they perform the Passion Play and you can also book it at 2:00pm any day except Sundays and holidays.