Months after purchasing the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV, the village of Dolton, Illinois, has designated it as an official historic landmark. Source: CBS News.
The Dolton Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Monday to approve an ordinance declaring the home at 212 East 141st Place as an official historic landmark and site of special historical significance. The vote will allow the village to seek state funding to preserve and develop the site.
Village officials have said they plan to work with the Chicago Archdiocese to possibly create a museum on the site.
Dolton Mayor Jason House said they hope to have a project completed by mid-2027.
“This is a moment that will be remembered for generations,” Mr House said in a statement. “Dolton is now forever imprinted on the world stage. Preserving Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home is not just about honouring history; it’s about protecting a symbol of hope, faith, and the extraordinary potential found in everyday American communities.”
Born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost in 1955, Pope Leo XIV was raised at his family’s home in Dolton and moved away in 1969 to attend seminary school in Michigan.
The village of Dolton purchased Pope Leo’s childhood home in July for $US375,000 ($A568,000) and is looking to acquire another nearby home, which is vacant, in an effort that Mr House hopes will revitalise the block where the pope grew up.
Dolton officials said thousands of visitors have travelled to the Pope’s childhood home since his election as pontiff.
Village officials said they will now form a committee, task force, or charitable organisation to secure donations and other funding to finance preservation and development of the site into a spiritual, tourist, and educational destination.
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Village of Dolton, Illinois, designates Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home as historic landmark (By Todd Feurer, CBS News)
