Thursday, June 18, 2015
Secrest Wardle is a law firm specializing in defense litigation and counsel for insurance, municipal, and commercial clients headquartered in Troy, with additional offices in Grand Rapids and Lansing.
Secrest Wardle was founded in 1912 by Stevens Thomson Mason, a descendant of the historically significant American political Mason family1 and the nephew of Stevens T. Mason, the “boy governor of Michigan.”2
Mr. Mason began practicing law as a sole practitioner. In 1923 he formed Mason, Cox and McCaslin. Upon his death in 1950, the firm became known as Davidson and Kaess. The names “Secrest” and “Wardle” did not appear until 1968. The most recent change occurred in 1998, when the firm became known as the present-day professional corporation, Secrest, Wardle, Lynch, Hampton, Truex and Morley.
Secrest Wardle moved from the First National Building in Detroit to establish its headquarters in Farmington Hills in 1975, at 30840 Northwestern Highway. In 1985, land directly across the street was acquired. A new building was constructed to accommodate the Firm’s growth. The Firm moved into its new headquarters at 30903 Northwestern Highway in April, 1985.
In the fall of 2011, Secrest Wardle once again found itself requiring new space to accommodate the growing practice and expanding client base. Secrest Wardle marked its 100th anniversary with its move to the City of Troy, to its new headquarters at 2600 Troy Center Drive, on June 18, 2012.
Photo:
Secrest Wardle – Headquarters
2600 Troy Center Drive, Troy, MI
References
(1) Gunston Hall. Mason Web, Person Page 35. Retrieved from https://www.gunstonhall.org/library/masonweb/p35.htm
(2) Seeking Michigan. “The Boy Governor Comes Home.” Retrieved from https://seekingmichigan.org/look/2013/01/02/boy-governor
To commemorate the City of Troy’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, we will publish a different story each day that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 and that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context. We will include the facts related to controversial stories, allowing our readers to form their own opinions. We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TroyHistoricVillage. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org.
