Chicago Suburb Threaten Eminent Domain for Pope’s Former Home

Pope Leo XIV’s modest childhood home in Dolton has become the center of a growing legal and political showdown.

Dolton officials plan to purchase the new pope’s former home through eminent domain, Crain’s reported, short-circuiting an upcoming auction and asserting public control over the property.

The three-bedroom house at 212 East 141st Place was listed earlier this year for $219,000 and taken off the market just after the former Cardinal Robert Prevost was elevated to the papacy. The current owner, a local investor who bought the home for $66,000 last May and renovated it, had planned to auction it off next month through New York-based Paramount Realty.

But the village has other plans. In a letter sent Tuesday, village attorney Burt Odelson informed the auction house that the property is subject to eminent domain and any sale may be “temporary,” as Dolton intends to begin the eminent domain process “very shortly.”

Eminent domain gives municipalities the right to seize property for roadways, construction or because they want better uses, and they must reimburse the property owner. In this case, the owner paid $66,000 for the home before renovating it, and it last listed for $199,900.

The fair market value of the home normally determines compensation, but this case is unusual since its connection to the pope likely inflates its value. If a buyer paid $400,000 for the home at auction, it raises the question of whether the village must match that price in an eminent domain settlement, real estate attorney Bill Ryan told the outlet. The case could lead to litigation, where a jury would need to decide how much the pope’s childhood connection affects the property’s value.

The village’s newly elected Mayor Jason House is behind the eminent domain idea, which is aimed at keeping the home from being converted into a commercial tourist attraction. The property is zoned residential, and Odelson said the village would deny any application to change that designation.

“Anyone who buys that house will find out from the village that it’s only going to be used as a house,” Odelson told the outlet, adding that the village will work with the Archdiocese of Chicago to make sure it doesn’t “become a nickel-and-dime, ‘buy a little pope’ place.”

Dolton has no plans for the site, and officials have said they intend to take instruction from the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The village began the process of landmarking the home this week. The village board also voted to rename a stretch of 141st Place after the newly elected pope, now Honorary Pope Leo XIV Place.

— Judah Duke