Ann and Ken Mikolowski had met as high-school students in Marine City (class of 1958); they married in 1961. The couple became residents of the Jeffries Housing Projects while both attended Wayne State, Ann studying art and Ken literature. In 1966, the Mikolowskis relocated to the Woodbridge neighborhood, renting on Commonwealth St. before purchasing a home in 1967, just after the 1967 Detroit Uprising.