The monthslong saga of ownership over Pope Leo XIV’s Dolton, Illinois, childhood home has come to an end.
The village did not disclose the purchase price, but it expects to pay over the minimum of $250,000 set in an auction for the house, Nakita Cloud, a Dolton spokesperson, told Homes.com.
On Tuesday night, Dolton officials came to an agreement in a special board meeting to acquire the 1,050-square-foot brick home at 212 E 141st Place from the seller, a real estate investor.
“Everybody is happy, it’s definitely a win-win for everybody,” Cloud said in an interview.
The village plans to close on the home next week and is working with Wintrust Bank.
Dolton wants to landmark the home and turn the block of 141st Place into a historical district. The village board's action Tuesday also included the purchase of a nearby dilapidated home, 200 E 141st Place, which Dolton intends to rehab as part of the historic district plan.
Rosaries left on doorknob
Cloud noted the pope's childhood home remains a tourist attraction, with buses of Catholic tours driving by regularly, rosaries placed on the doorknob, and people touching the front steps. Dolton researched the hometowns of the past three popes, the home of Martin Luther King Jr., and President Donald Trump's childhood home to analyze the economic benefits.
Village officials believe tourism will attract big-box stores and improve the area, according to Cloud.
“This is so much bigger than T-shirts and candles. … [Dolton] has the opportunity to look like these communities everyone glorifies,” said Cloud. “Dolton has that chance now, and all thanks to the pope.”
The home was thrust into the spotlight after Robert Prevost was named the new pope May 8, and by chance, the home his family owned between 1946 and 1996 was on the market for $199,900 after a price cut from the initial listing price of $219,000.
Prevost and his two brothers grew up in the home and reportedly attended nearby schools.
The village of Dolton initially expressed interest in owning the home, but its plans were seemingly thwarted when the seller, DPR Homes owner Pawel Radzik, placed the home up for auction with Paramount Realty USA, the same auction house that sold President Trump’s childhood home three times.
Paramount Realty USA did not immediately respond to requests to comment.
The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home began accepting bids May 16 starting at $250,000.
Soon after, Dolton’s attorney sent a letter to Paramount Realty USA noting its intent to obtain ownership of the property through eminent domain.
That letter was more of a courtesy to bidders, said Cloud, who noted the town and sellers had been in talks about purchasing the home since the week of May 16.
“We had been in negotiation but were trying to see if it were even possible, if it made financial sense,” said Cloud.
Residents react to the agreement
Dolton’s intent to purchase the home has received mixed reactions from residents, said Cloud. Several voiced their concerns at Tuesday's village board meeting, inquiring about where the revenue for the purchase would come from and how it would benefit the community. Others mentioned concerns over roads in poor condition and outstanding bills facing Dolton.
“As a practicing Catholic, I see no reason why you want to buy that house,” said one resident during the citizens address portion of Tuesday’s meeting. “The house inside does not look anything like it did when Father Prevost lived there or his parents or his brothers, so I’m really against it.”
Owner Radzik purchased the home to flip, updating and modernizing the interior with white walls, kitchen cabinets, subway tile backsplash, granite countertops, and matte black plumbing fixtures. According to public records, the home changed hands twice before Radzik purchased it for $66,000 in May 2024.
Much of the financial concerns by residents came from actions by the village’s previous mayor, Tiffany Henyard, who is accused of financial misconduct during her two terms and was subpoenaed by the FBI in April 2024.
Last month, a former Dolton employee currently suing the village for wrongful termination filed a motion to stop the village from acquiring the pope’s childhood home, alleging the municipality is in “severe financial distress,” and the purchase would be “financially irresponsible.”
Cloud previously denied the claims in that complaint. A judge blocked the temporary restraining order on June 18, allowing a potential acquisition to proceed.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can either seize this moment and move it forward or we can let that moment go to an investor,” Mayor Jason House said at the Tuesday meeting.