Our Story

Local Owner-Operators Deeply Rooted In The Community


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Brothers Jon and Julian Mickelson, Chicago natives, saved for years before their 1984 investment in a River West loft building. Quickly discovering their passion was artistic in nature, Jon and Julian reconfigured functionally obsolete spaces into artist’s lofts, incorporating exquisite landscapes. Serendipitously, they had met a passionate and hugely talented landscape designer, who continues to design and source all developments.

The Mickelsons continued artistic renovations, eventually leaving their day jobs to focus solely on development. The common theme was creating functional spaces with an abundance of natural light, luxury amenities and colorful landscapes. In 1994 they transformed a vacant East Village factory into The Bodine Building Lofts, a 20-unit condo development featured in the HGTV show Lofty Ideas and in the movie High Fidelity as the home of Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Their first entry into the Bronzeville market was the 2007 purchase of a 23-unit development at 4840-46 S. Indiana Ave. Against the advice of three developers (who urged them to renovate as little as possible), they reconfigured and remodeled the units with luxury amenities, which were quickly leased. In 2008, Julian and Jon decided to devote all resources exclusively to Bronzeville and North Kenwood. They paired their offering of boutique rentals with excellent service, to provide stress-free environments where maintenance and service needs were quickly met.

As investments grew, to continue to provide extraordinary customer service, Jon concentrated on property management and Julian focused on acquisitions and development. They formed a highly functional team that was inspired by the mission statement and passion of the Mickelsons.
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