DOLTON, Unwell. — The Prevost household owned their residence in Dolton, Illinois for practically 50 years, elevating their household there, together with the son who would in the future grow to be the primary American pope.
Whereas the home is up for public sale, the village plans to step in to protect its historical past.
“It additionally brings simply the popularity that nice issues do come out of Dolton,” mentioned Mayor Jason Home.
What the brick suburban home at 212 East 141st Place doesn’t but present are the standard beginnings of Chicago native Pope Leo XIV.
However Dolton’s legal professional, Burt Odelson, instructed our sister station WLS, that the village now has plans to alter that by working with the Chicago Archdiocese to show the home right into a historic website open to the general public.
“In order that we are able to preserve it as it’s and folks can come and think about it. This actually is a once-in-a-lifetime expertise,” Odelson mentioned.
These efforts come because the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is up on the market in a non-public public sale.
However in a letter despatched to Paramount Realty, the corporate that owns the now-sacred house, the village’s legal professional wrote that Dolton plans to both outright buy the house or purchase it by eminent area.
“We have tried to barter with the proprietor. [He] desires an excessive amount of cash, so we’ll both negotiate with the public sale home or, because the letter acknowledged that I despatched to the public sale home, we’ll take it by means of eminent area, which is our proper as a village,” Odelson mentioned.
“If there’s a authorities use for any property or location, then the federal government has the power, by means of the regulation, eminent area, to pay a good market value for that house,” Home mentioned.
Home says that’s solely an possibility if ongoing negotiations with the home’s proprietor fall by means of.
He additionally says present bidders ought to be conscious their obvious buy would solely be short-term till the village inevitably takes over to the property.
“As a result of most individuals wouldn’t need to buy a spot figuring out there are different circumstances behind it,” Home mentioned.
WLS left a message for Paramount Realty however didn’t instantly hear again. However as of now, the public sale website stays lively and is scheduled to shut to bidders subsequent month.
READ MORE | Preservationists search landmark designation for Pope Leo XIV’s boyhood church on Far South Aspect
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
