Family Legacy
Tilsenbilt is a legacy of experience and history handed down from father to son.
The Family Legacy of Tilsenbilt Homes Inc.
Edward Tilsen, a visionary leader, established the Twin City Building and Improvement Company in 1943. By 1952, he founded Tilsenbilt Homes Inc., setting the stage for generations of excellence in home construction. He was a key figure in the St. Paul Homebuilder Association and served on the National Association of Home Builders. Edward's homes were featured in the prestigious Better Homes and Gardens magazine during the mid-50s.'
Discover more about one of the country's first integrated housing developments here.
In preceding years, Bob Tilsen carried the torch alongside his father and eventually on his own shaped, Tilsen Homes Inc. Bob also served his industry as the president of the St. Paul Homebuilders. He co-founded the Builders Association of Minnesota and presided over the National Association of Homebuilders.
When it was James Tilsen’s turn, he continued the legacy of building exceptional homes in Burnsville, Eagan, Maplewood, and Oakdale. James also held a role with St. Paul Professional Builders Association and was the first president of the Builders Association of the Twin Cities in 1991, and his chairmanship of the Builders Association of Minnesota Government Affairs Committee.
By 2010, Geoff Tilsen was given the family toolbelt and he brought twenty years of residential construction experience raining from a cabinet maker, carpenter, and superintendent. Geoff has worked on countless remodeling projects and contracts. In addition, he saw the opportunity to expand the legacy into interior design services, which offers clients even more inspirational vision and full completion of a project.
Geoff’s family calls St. Paul home and their work continues throughout the Twin Cities. Don't hesitate to consider Tilsenbilt for your home needs. Contact Geoff today to answer your questions.
Historically Bold Building Vision
Perhaps one of Tilsenbilt’s crowning legacy achievements was the vision of purpose. A purpose that every family deserved to have a home regardless of their skin color.
In the mid-1940s, and early 1950s segregation was present throughout the United States and unfortunately common in Minneapolis.
Local Minneapolis realtor Archie Givens, Sr wanted to support the Minneapolis Urban League's quest for a groundbreaking home-building project for black Minnesotans. Archie contacted Edward Tilsen, a Ukranian immigrant who knew the community success of proper homes when he previously built the nation’s first-ever interracial commercial housing project in St. Paul.
Together, Archie and Edward built and sold 28 single-family homes as the first privately developed interracial housing project in Minneapolis. Today the neighborhood is recognized and preserved by local historians, authors, and a few original homeowners.
Additional stories about the remarkable feat of Edward Tilsen’s legacy can be found in these links.
Additional stories about the remarkable feat of Edward Tilsen’s legacy can be found in these links.
