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USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
House divided: Who will get Pope Leo's childhood home outside Chicago?
House divided: Who will get Pope Leo's childhood home outside Chicago? There's a growing schism in the first American pope's hometown. At stake is who will take Leo's childhood home and how much it will cost them. An auction for the house closes June 18. Show Caption Hide Caption JD Vance gives Pope Leo a special American gift Pope Leo XIV was given a Bears jersey by Vice President JD Vance at their first official meeting. DOLTON, IL – There's a rift growing in the Chicagoland hometown of America's first pope. Not over what baseball team will get his blessing. Or whether the area's anti-ketchup stance could become canon. But over his childhood home. Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago in 1955 and grew up in a squat brick house just south of the city in the Village of Dolton, a town that boomed in the post-war era but has become blighted like many Rust Belt towns. The fate of the little ranch house at 212 E. 141st Pl. where he played priest, however, is up in the air. Local leaders want it for Dolton. The owner wants to auction it off to the highest bidder. 'This isn't just a local purchase, this is a global purchase, a global opportunity,' Steve Budzik, the owner's real estate broker, told USA TODAY. 'We knew if we put it on the open market that might attract the bidder who would be willing to pay the most.' Paramount Realty, the New York-based company behind the auction, is known for auctioning off the childhood home of President Donald Trump for over $2 million. Other properties it is currently selling include a castle in Pennsylvania appraised at $1.9 million and a Long Island house designed by architect Richard Meier that previously sold for $9.45 million. Dolton officials are threatening to get a judge to force owner Paweł Radzik to sell them the house. They aim to use it for the village, although they haven't said exactly how. The process of government claiming private property for public use is called eminent domain. 'I can think of no better public use than to preserve the house for the public to see and use so we meet the definition,' Village attorney Burt Odelson told USA TODAY. 'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us in the United States.' The Dolton-raised pontiff's election comes as his hometown has experienced a few rough decades amid a loss of manufacturing jobs and a corrupt mayor who racked up massive debts for the village of about 20,000. People in the village hope Leo's connection to it will spark its resurrection. Dolton's revival would center around the house where then-Robert Francis Prevost learned his faith from his parents and brothers. 'We talk about how he might have been formed by being an Augustinian and a missionary in Peru, but how about as a child of the suburbs,' said Father Stephen Koeke, a University of Notre Dame professor. 'His upbringing looks like that of so many Americans and if he was able to grow up in this context and pursue holiness . . . Well, maybe we too can do it.' Resurrection of Dolton: Can Pope Leo XIV bring glory back to his hometown? The tussle over the leader of the Catholic church's childhood home presents a uniquely American clash, according to legal experts and scholars, over the nation's near sacrosanct beliefs in property rights enshrined by the Constitution. 'Here in the United States, we have very strong feelings about the right to own and possess property and do with it what you want,' said Allison K. Bethel, a clinical law professor at the University of Illinois Chicago. 'The power to just come in and take it away runs counter to that. But when you think about it, doing so also goes all the way back to taking property from the Native Americans. This is how we do it here in America.' Auctioneer Paramount Realty opened up the house to bids on May 15, according to Budzik. Bidding closes on June 18, according to the listing. The minimum bid is $250,000. What's a pope's house worth? The first American pope's childhood home had been on the market for about four months at $219,000 when Leo became pope. Budzik took down the listing within days. The future pope's parents bought the house when it was completed in 1949 and held onto it until 1996, according to Cook County property records. Leo lived there until moving away for high school to a seminary school in Michigan. Radzik bought the 1,050 square-foot house for $66,000 in 2024, according to Cook County property records. It looks like countless others that went up across the nation in the postwar era, including a nearly identical squat brick home about a block away that Budzik listed for $175,000. But he remodeled the interior into a three-bedroom, three-bathroom home. The remodeling means the interior looks nothing like it did when Leo lived there, dissauding Radzik from wanting to be responsible for turning it into a museum. 'It sounds great in theory,' said Budzik. 'But I said, 'Paweł, are you going to do the research and find what cabinets were popular in the 1960s?' It would probably cost double what it took him to renovate it to 2025 standards.' Budzik said that he hopes a buyer would honor Leo's legacy. 'A truly one-of-a-kind opportunity—this beautifully updated home isn't just a charming 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom residence…it's the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope in history,' reads the brochure which includes Leo's seal. 'Pope Leo XIV's journey from this humble neighborhood to the Vatican is a testament to faith, perseverance, and purpose. Now, you have the rare chance to own a tangible piece of his inspiring legacy.' Can Dolton claim the house? Dolton's path to claiming eminent domain over the house will be difficult, according to legal experts. The concept of eminent domain dates back to Ancient Rome, according to University of California Irvine professor Alejandro E. Camacho. Crucially, governments have to prove that the private property will serve a public purpose. Typical cases in the U.S. involve situations where government says it needs a particular property to build a road or park. Dolton will have a hard time meeting the standard of public purpose because the village only decided to go after the property in response to the news about its connection to Leo, according to Camacho. A judge granting Dolton eminent domain power would create a 'slippery slope' for future eminent domain cases, Camacho said. 'The reason they seem to be saying is 'The pope's home is valuable and we want in on that action,'' Camacho said. 'Why wouldn't the city just take every piece of property that's valuable and flip it?' Leo's status as pope only complicates the issue in a country where the government is not supposed to endorse a particular religion. 'If it was Abe Lincoln's house maybe you could argue there's federal laws implicated but the historical value is wrapped up so much in an individual religion,' Camacho said. 'I don't know if it runs afoul but it's at least worth saying it raises questions.' What happened with other popes' childhood homes? Other papal childhood homes have sparked the flourishing of unknown small towns, according to a USA TODAY survey of Leo's predecessors. The feeling in Dolton that Leo's childhood home could potentially bring an economic boom to the area is borne out in the hometowns of other popes. Wadowice, the town of around 17,500 in Poland where Pope John Paul II was raised, has benefited massively, according to Piotr Polak, a guide at the museum in John Paul's childhood home. 'There are at least a dozen of Wadowice-like towns in southern Poland,' Polak told USA TODAY from Poland. 'None of them is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the globe.' Polak said the museum in the tenement where then-Karol Wojtyła grew up opened in 1984. Around 200,000 people visit the museum annually, according to Polak. 'Without the figure of JP2 there would be next to no one from outside the local region here,' said the guide. 'One of the biggest blessings the town has is the fact that Karol Wojtyła had spent the first 18 years of his life here.' Pilgrims began arriving at the tenement almost immediately when John Paul became pope in 1978, according to Polak. A local priest helped the family find another place to live. Eventually the town and local church leaders then converted the tenement into a museum and a Polish businessman bought the building and donated it to the church. What Dolton wants Pilgrims from around the country began arriving at Leo's old house in Dolton when the Chicagoland pontiff was announced on May 8. For those in Leo's old neighborhood it came as a complete surprise when they saw the beatific looks on their faces as they regarded the little brick house in the middle of the block. 'This was a house that was not at all peaceful,' said nextdoor neighbor Donna Sagna, recalling days when the area was a hotbed of drug dealing and violence. Sagna, 50, hopes the pope's house can be the start of a completely different outlook for the block and the people of Dolton. The little town has struggled immensely since Leo's exodus. Dolton had a dozen murders in 2023, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. About 20,000 people live in the village, meaning the homicide rate is about 10 times the national average. According to census data, the average income in the area is under $30,000. About a fifth of the population lives in poverty. 'I want to see this as a landmark with programs for the community, for people who are struggling,' said Sagna. 'I'd like to see that kind of change. Then the violence will come down.'
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Chicago Suburb Plans to Acquire Pope Leo XIV's Childhood Home
The Chicago suburb where the first American pope spent some of his boyhood is seeking to acquire his childhood home. If it can't work out a way to buy it, it will take it. 'The Village of Dolton intends to purchase this home either through direct purchase or through their eminent domain powers,' wrote Burton S. Odelson, an attorney for the village of Dolton, Ill., in a letter sent to Paramount Realty USA, a real estate auction firm that had already begun collecting bids for the property. '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.' It's the latest development for the modest three-bedroom house after it was put up for auction last week with Paramount. Acquiring the house via eminent domain would allow the village of Dolton to take the private property for public purposes, though the government would have to pay 'fair compensation' to the owner, according to the letter. The seller, Pawel Radzik, 'is excited to have the potential opportunity to work with the church, the archdiocese and the village of Dolton to purchase the property,' said Steve Budzik, the real estate broker representing the property. Mr. Radzik, 36, bought the home in 2024 for $66,000 with a plan to renovate and flip it. 'Ultimately, what happens is up to the owner of the property,' said Misha Haghani, the CEO and founder of Paramount. 'We're just advisers here.' The brick home, which had been listed for 199,900, suddenly became a historic site when Pope Leo XIV was introduced to the world earlier this month. The pontiff, who grew up as Robert Francis Prevost, spent at least some of his childhood in the house on 141st Place, about 30 minutes south of downtown Chicago. His father, Louis Prevost, sold the house in 1996 after almost 50 years, according to county records. After receiving only a handful of offers in recent months, Mr. Budzik and Mr. Radzik were inundated with a sudden rush almost immediately following the conclusion of the conclave. Mr. Budzik and Mr. Radzik quickly pulled the house off the market as they worked out their next steps. Unable to settle on a price, they turned to Paramount, which started the auction and began collecting bids. The auction is set to conclude June 18. The village's letter outlining its intent to acquire the home was sent to the auction house on Tuesday. Mr. Odelson, the village's attorney, said in an interview that he has been in touch with the seller's team and that negotiations are 'open now.' He said he hopes to avoid eminent domain, which would entail an expensive and lengthy legal process. Using eminent domain, Mr. Odelson said, 'keeps the home in the news and not the light that the village or the church want. We don't want it to be a controversy; we want it be a sacred site.'
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Village of Dolton, Illinois plans to acquire house were Pope Leo XIV grew up
The Village of Dolton plans to purchase the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV. In a letter to New York-based Paramount Realty USA, attorney Burton Odelson wrote on behalf of the village that it intends to purchase the home at 212 E. 141st Pl. either by direct purchase or by eminent domain. The village plans to work with the Chicago Archdiocese to turn the house into a historic site that can be viewed and visited by the public, Odelson wrote. Dolton Mayor Jason House said the village's first choice would be to negotiate with the current owner of the house — but the eminent domain option could come into play if negotiations don't work out. "We felt like it was a proper step to notify the auction house that the village is interested. And we'll take that measure if we need to, ideally, like anything else," he said. "You want to have a good, fair negotiation with the owner. We want to be fair to him, and we also have the conflicting interest of making sure we're honoring the property." Currently, Paramount Realty USA is planning an auction of the house, which it notes was owned by the Prevost family for nearly 50 years. The house was built in 1949, the realty company noted. The auction is scheduled for June 18. But Odelson wrote that any prospective buyers should be told their "purchase" may be only temporary since the village plans to take over the house.
Bloomberg
16-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pope Leo's Childhood Home Goes on Sale at $250,000 Starting Bid
The childhood Chicago-area home of Pope Leo XIV is being sold at a luxury auction following a surge of interest sparked by his election last week. The three-bedroom house in Dolton, Illinois — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of downtown Chicago — will open bidding at $250,000, according to Paramount Realty USA, the firm managing the sale.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What will happen to 'Neshaminy Indian' statue at sold mall in Bensalem?
For nearly 55 years, the bare-chested Lenni-Lenape chief named Tawanka has crouched for a sip of water atop a rock plateau overlooking a waterfall leading to a pond inside the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem. An anxious-looking beaver watches the serene scene captured in bronze. From his vantage point, the mighty chief has watched shoppers, employees and stores come and go. In recent years, mostly the latter. Nearly a year after its sale, the future of the Neshaminy Mall — first major Bucks County shopping mecca — remains unclear, beyond that most of its structure will be demolished, according to the new owner. But what about the Tawanka statue and his "fountain of tranquility"? 'The Indian will be preserved,' the Bensalem mall's manager Pat Conte confirmed recently. Paramount Realty and Edgewood Properties, who bought the mall last June, are well aware of the concern about the fate of the beloved bronze statue, which attracted thousands of coin-tossing visitors over the decades. At this point there are no specific plans on how the fountain might be incorporated into the redevelopment plan, Conte said. There is a chance it won't be, too. But either way, the statute, along with the three remaining animatronics displays of Colonial life, known as dioramas, in the wall behind the fountain will survive. 'They will not be destroyed,' Conte said. What is the history of the Neshaminy Mall Indian? 'The Neshaminy Indian' is as much an iconic symbol of the Bensalem mall as its dioramas and the wing-topped totem pole that once loomed over Route 1 near the Pennsylvania Turnpike. But the statute is not original to the 1-million square-foot mall, which opened in 1968 as the sixth interior mall built in the Greater Philadelphia area. The original indoor fountain outside the entrance of anchor store Strawbridge & Clothier was a minimalistic inspired one featuring white cement rectangle stacks. It was flanked by globe-topped light poles, white brick planters and wood benches giving the area a park-like feel. At some point after the mall opened Strawbridge & Clothier commissioned a Philadelphia artist to create a new fountain inspired by the Lenni-Lenape, a Delaware tribe that lived along the Neshaminy Creek. The bronze cast "Neshaminy Indian" fountain was dedicated Sept. 9, 1970 as part of a larger historical display the Strawbridge family commissioned for outside its store. For decades it was a major attraction for visitors collecting who knows how many pennies tossed in its shallow pool. The second fountain was much larger than the original, which is among the reasons it was replaced. The Strawbridge family wanted to make their store — with its swanky balcony 'Corinthian Room' restaurant —stand out as the mall centerpiece, though it was not physically located in the building's center, according to Skycity2blogspot. The iconic Native American statue overlooking what was once a working fountain is showing his age after nearly 55 years in front of the former Strawbridge and Clothier anchor store at the Neshaminy Mall. The mall's manager assures that the bronze sculpture will not be destroyed. 'Apparently Strawbridge's wanted to showcase their store with a much showier fountain with historic precedent to replace the more basic concrete fountain that was put there when the mall opened,' according to the post. The Strawbridge family also wanted to honor the area's Native-American and early Colonial American history, according to the blog post. 'This was their contribution to Neshaminy Mall,' the post said. What do we know about Henry Mitchell, the 'Neshaminy Indian' artist Henry Mitchell was an American sculptor who made his mark in Philadelphia where many of his works are public installations. Mitchell was born in Ohio. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He earned a degree in economics from Princeton University before working as a motor company executive. He moved to Philadelphia in 1948 when he decided to change careers, according to the Woodmere Art Museum. Mitchell enrolled in the Temple University Tyler School of Art where he received his Master's degree then went to Italy where he spent two years studying sculpture on a Fulbright Fellowship. He died at age 65 in 1980. Bronze was Mitchell's favorite medium and animals his preferred subject, according to the Canton Museum of Art. A life-size bronze beaver is part of the "Neshaminy Indian" fountain installation. His bronze relief horse fountain on the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the winged bull that symbolizes Jefferson University, Dancing Children above the entrance to the Cobbs Creek Recreation Center and statue of Saint Fiacre in the Philadelphia History Museum Garden are among his most prominently displayed works in Philadelphia. What does the 'Neshaminy Indian' fountain look like today? His once deep bronze finish has faded to a dull gray-green with time and sun exposure from the skylight above the fountain. The flat jagged rock pile that tempted the hands and feet of curious children remains intact, but the fountain hasn't operated for years. According to a Facebook post, the fountain water was turned off at some point because people were 'bathing' in it. A layer of Cookie Monster blue moss stands in for what was once flowing water covering. The bronze sculpture of a beaver is seen hiding among a mix of artificial and dying live plants as part of the iconic Native American fountain display at the Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem Artificial plants are mixed among live palms with yellowed and brown withered leaves ring the installation. The bronze beaver statue, also green-tinted with age, sits on a rock near the fountain pool. The black and gold embossed bronze dedication plaque is still easily readable. The installation is surrounded by the boarded up former Macy's entrance, a popup wedding boutique, a custom graphics business, and massage chairs. Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@ This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Neshaminy Mall 'Indian' statue will survive mall redevelopment
