Dolton to dedicate section of village street in honor of Pope Leo XIV
With Dolton eyeing possible ownership of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in the village, officials plan to name a portion of the street in front of the house in his honor.
A ceremony is still to be scheduled for the dedication 141st Place, between Indiana and Manor avenues, as Pope Leo XIV Place following action Monday by the Dolton Village Board.
Mayor Jason House said the pope's roots 'demonstrates that great things do come out of Dolton.'
The modest brick home at 212 E. 141st Place, at just a smidge over 1,000 square feet, was where Robert Francis Prevost grew up.
Prevost's parents — Louis, a school administrator who died in 1997, and Mildred, a librarian who died in 1990 — owned and lived in the brick house for decades. Louis Prevost sold the home in 1996 for $58,000.
The future pontiff lived in the house full-time until going off to a Michigan seminary for high school in 1969.
House said after Monday's meeting he spoke earlier in the day with Pawel Radzik, a Homer Glen-based home rehabber who paid $66,000 for the home last year.
'I let him know that the village is interested' in the home, 'and you can say that negotiations have started,' House said.
Radzik put the house on the market for sale, then pulled it after learning of the property's heritage and now worldwide importance.
The home is due to go to auction, and House has indicated that Dolton could use the courts to acquire the property through eminent domain, which could be an expensive and lengthy process.
The mayor, sworn in earlier this month, said it's possible Dolton could take part in the auction. If it's sold at the auction, which closes later in June, and the village isn't a successful bidder, eminent domain could be an option, House said.
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House was noncommittal when asked how high the village might go should a bidding war take place during the auction. Considering Dolton's frail financial condition, House was asked by a reporter if delving into the real estate is a wise move.
'This is a big enough deal that it merits special attention,' the mayor said.
Should Dolton succeed in acquiring the home, House said that several ideas are being considered, and that he is excited for the property's potential as an attraction and historical landmark.
'Above all, we want to make sure that whatever we do we honor the Catholic faith,' the mayor said.
In talking with Radzik, the owner said taking the home off the market was due in large part to difficulty estimating a value.
Radzik first listed the house in January for $219,000, reducing that to $205,000 later in the month then cutting it in February to $199,900.
The home itself is nothing spectacular, but the background is an intangible that is hard, if not impossible, to put a value on, House said.
'It is special,' the mayor said.
Real estate broker Steve Budzik said while the auction is set to close June 18, the seller, Radzik, can choose to accept an offer, which are entered privately through Paramount auction house, at any time.
'The auction gives everybody a fair chance at putting in a bid,' Budzik told the Daily Southtown. 'And even with eminent domain, I think the question is, what's the value?'
Budzik believes for a home with such an important historical connection, the just compensation required in exchange for the property is 'totally subjective.'
A Catholic himself, Radzik immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in 2006. He said the house 'was in pretty bad shape when I bought it.'
'I would say 80% of it is new — new flooring, new cabinets, new plumbing, new electrical, new kitchen,' he said.
mnolan@southtownstar.com
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