History

Organized by the Partners of Alex. Brown & Sons.  ABR was established in 1972 to originate real estate investments for the partners and clients of Alex. Brown & Sons (formerly the oldest investment bank in the U.S. and now a part of Deutsche Bank).

The Alex. Brown Real Estate Group.  In 1980, Alex. Brown & Sons formed Alex. Brown Realty Advisors, Inc. (ABRA) to provide real estate investment advisory services to public pension funds.  Both ABR and ABRA were operated under the holding company Alex. Brown Real Estate Group, Inc. until 1990, when Alex. Brown & Sons merged ABRA with a subsidiary of Kleinwort Benson to form Alex. Brown Kleinwort Benson Realty Advisors Corporation (ABKB).  ABKB subsequently acquired the assets of FIA Associates, Inc. and became the largest real estate advisor to public pension funds in the U.S.  ABKB was sold to LaSalle Partners, Inc. in 1994.

ABR as a Privately Owned Company.  In 1991, ABR's management team and several key Alex. Brown & Sons employees purchased a controlling interest in ABR.  Employees of ABR currently own approximately one-third of the company; the balance of  the stock is owned by individuals and family-office investors, many of whom regularly invest in ABR sponsored funds.