Weeks before the current owners planned to sell the home in Dolton, Illinois, by auction, the Chicago suburb announced it would take ownership with its eminent domain powers.

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The village that is home to the house where newly selected Pope Leo XIV grew up said Tuesday that it planned to take ownership of the dwelling, either by buying it or through its eminent domain power.

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The 750-square-foot home was slated to be auctioned off to the highest bidder in a private, sealed bid auction scheduled for June 18.

But attorneys for the village of Dolton came out with a strong message on Tuesday: Don’t bother bidding.

“The Village intends to work with the Chicago Archdiocese and other agencies to allow the home to be viewed and visited by the public as a historic site,” according to a letter sent by attorneys for the small village to the company handling the auction.

The auction of 242 East 141st Place is being handled by Paramount Realty USA, which is offering bidders the chance to “Own a Sacred Piece of History.” 

“Born Robert Francis Prevost, Pope Leo XIV made history as the first American pope upon his election in May 2025,” Paramount Realty USA wrote in its description. “His childhood home is being offered for sale via private auction. Located in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, this modest brick home was owned by the Prevost family for nearly 50 years and served as the foundation of a life that would lead to the Vatican.”

The minimum, all-cash price for the home is $250,000 plus a 10 percent buyer premium.

The home was bought a year ago for $66,000 and substantially updated by a suburban investor who couldn’t immediately be reached on Wednesday. After renovation, the investor-owner put the home on the market in January for $219,000, Crain’s Chicago reported. The price fell to $199,000 in February before it was taken off the market after the pope was elected.

Paramount Realty USA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Steve Budzik, the broker handling the home sale, declined to comment.

Louis Prevost sold the home in October 1996, according to state records shared as part of the due diligence process for potential bidders.

Under Illinois law, local governments have the power to take private property for public use if they pay fair compensation to the owner.

“Please inform any prospective buyers that their ‘purchase’ may only be temporary since the Village intends to begin the eminent domain process very shortly,” the village attorneys’ letter said.

The attorneys told Crain’s Chicago that the eminent domain plan came at the direction of newly elected Mayor Jason House, who was elected May 5, three days before the new pope’s election put the house in the national crosshairs.

The attorneys told the news outlet that, if the village doesn’t buy the property, any would-be buyer would be blocked from using it as anything other than a single-family house, noting it sits within an area zoned for single-family residential.

“We don’t want it to become a nickel-and-dime, ‘buy a little pope’ place,” the attorney told Crain’s.

Email Taylor Anderson

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