Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago-Area Childhood Home up for Auction

The modest brick ranch in Dolton where Pope Leo XIV grew up is going to auction next month, after a whirlwind for the home and the house flipper who owns it.

Paweł Radzik, a Homer Glen–based investor who paid $66,000 for the home in 2024 and gave it a full interior renovation, set a June 18 auction date in partnership with Paramount, the Chicago Tribune reported. The reserve price is $250,000, meaning any bids under that amount can be declined.

The three-bedroom, one-bathroom house at 212 East 141st Place was pulled from the market after the Vatican announced Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost had been elected pope, the first American-born pontiff in history. Radzik had previously listed the 750-square-foot home for $219,000, $292 per square foot, then lowered the price to $199,900 just weeks before the surprise news.

Since then, the house has become a magnet for tourists and curiosity-seekers. Visitors have been stopping by to snap selfies and peek through the windows. Dolton’s mayor has even floated renaming the street in honor of the new pope.

Radzik, a practicing Catholic who immigrated from Poland, said he had no idea of the home’s connection when he bought it. He estimates he spent about $80,000 on renovations but says much of the modern work could be reversed if a buyer wanted to restore the home to its midcentury look. Ideas have ranged from converting the home into a shrine or museum to simply preserving it as a landmark.

Prevost’s parents sold the home for $58,000 in 1996. It changed hands twice more before Radzik acquired it. According to his agent, Steve Budzik of iCandy Realty, the team is still open to speaking with the pope’s family before making any final decisions on the home’s future.

But one thing is certain: the auction will draw far more attention than a typical Dolton listing.

“The more attention, the better for me,” Radzik said.

— Judah Duke