Chicago suburb plans to take ownership of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home through eminent domain

DOLTON, Ill. -- The Prevost family owned their home in Dolton, Illinois for nearly 50 years, raising their family there, including the son who would one day become the first American pope.

While the house is up for auction, the village plans to step in to preserve its history.

"It also brings just the recognition that great things do come out of Dolton," said Mayor Jason House.

What the brick suburban house at 212 East 141st Place does not yet show are the humble beginnings of Chicago native Pope Leo XIV.

But Dolton's attorney, Burt Odelson, told our sister station WLS, that the village now has plans to change that by working with the Chicago Archdiocese to turn the house into a historic site open to the public.

"So that we can keep it as it is and people can come and view it. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Odelson said.

Those efforts come as the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house is up for sale in a private auction.

SEE ALSO | Brawls to blessings: Can Pope Leo's Dolton roots help rebrand village plagued by political turmoil?

But in a letter sent to Paramount Realty, the company that owns the now-sacred space, the village's attorney wrote that Dolton plans to either outright purchase the home or buy it by eminent domain.

"We've tried to negotiate with the owner. [He] wants too much money, so we will either negotiate with the auction house or, as the letter stated that I sent to the auction house, we will take it through eminent domain, which is our right as a village," Odelson said.

"If there is a government use for any property or location, then the government has the ability, through the law, eminent domain, to pay a fair market price for that space," House said.

House says that is only an option if ongoing negotiations with the house's owner fall through.

He also says current bidders should be aware their apparent purchase would only be temporary until the village inevitably takes over to the property.

"Because most people would not want to purchase a place knowing there are other circumstances behind it," House said.

WLS left a message for Paramount Realty but did not immediately hear back. But as of now, the auction site remains active and is scheduled to close to bidders next month.

READ MORE | Preservationists seek landmark designation for Pope Leo XIV's boyhood church on Far South Side