A Rich Legacy

Spanning 100 Years

WYCHE CENTENNIAL

Wyche is built on a daring idea – the notion that a small firm in South Carolina can attract world-class talent to pursue a cutting-edge legal practice. As we celebrate our Centennial, we are filled with gratitude for the countless friends and clients who have helped to make that idea a reality. It’s humbling to see the ways in which the bold vision of the firm’s early leaders has been realized, and it’s inspiring to know that same spirit thrives today.

We created this website as a way to commemorate and share Wyche’s century of service. Wyche has participated in groundbreaking legal outcomes and landmark community projects, and we are proud of both. We hope you enjoy learning about the Wyche story. We are excited about adding chapters to that story as we embark on a new era.

Centennial Legacy Project

CELEBRATING
100 YEARS

In celebration of our 100th year of practice, we launched the Wyche Centennial Legacy Project. Wyche’s Centennial Legacy Project continues our history of legal and community leadership by supporting projects across the state that advance the four pillars that have defined us and that continue to inform our vision for the future: Advancing the Business Community, Societal Impact, Community Transformation, and Environmental Stewardship.

“The Wyche Centennial Legacy Project was formed knowing that our legacy is shared and strengthened in partnership with others who are focused on inspiring positive change that can be felt for generations.”

Tally Parham Casey,
CEO and Chair
CommUNITY Impact

WYCHE COMMUNITY PROJECTS

An important aspect of Wyche’s history is the firm’s role in many of the transformative projects in downtown Greenville and the Upstate, including The Peace Center, RiverPlace, The Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, The Hyatt Hotel, and Heritage Green. Wyche has also been recognized for a history of leadership in creating an environment in which the arts have flourished in Greenville, receiving the prestigious Governor’s Award for the Arts.

Photo Credit: VisitGreenvilleSC.com

THE PEACE
CENTER

The Peace Center, a premier performing arts venue, has become a focal cultural point of downtown Greenville and the entire Upstate. Wyche lawyers played a key role in leading and developing this transformational facility.

RIVERPLACE
DEVELOPMENT

The RiverPlace development along the Reedy River in downtown Greenville is a testament to Tommy Wyche’s vision. Before the Reedy was an attraction, Tommy was busy assembling property that would eventually allow for the unified and comprehensive development of this key site along the River. RiverPlace is now a thriving entertainment, dining, office, and artistic center of Greenville.

Photo Credit: VisitGreenvilleSC.com

BON SECOURS
WELLNESS ARENA

Wyche worked with other Greenville leaders behind the scenes for many years to ensure the financial and legal backing was in place to bring a world-class arena to downtown Greenville. Thanks in large part to this vision, the Bi-Lo Center (now the Bon Secours Wellness Arena) opened in 1998.

HERITAGE
GREEN

Wyche helped to put together land from the Greenville Women’s College and Southern Bell to create Heritage Green, home to four museums, the Greenville Little Theater, and Greenville’s main library branch.

Photo Credit: Upcountry History Museum

Photo Credit: tripadvisor.com

HYATT
HOTEL

Main Street in downtown Greenville suffered decades of decline in the middle of the last century. Wyche and other community leaders believed the area had potential, and saw the need to plant seeds for future growth. The firm played a key role in recruiting Hyatt to build an anchor hotel and in creating an innovative air rights statute that made the development feasible. Most Greenvilleans agree that the completion of the Hyatt was the first step in the revitalization of our downtown.

SC GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Wyche provided vision, planning, and encouragement that helped to bring South Carolina’s Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities to Greenville. The firm also played a key role in the site selection for the school.

Photo Credit: scgsah.org

Photo Credit: Upstate Business Journal/Marriott

GRAND
BOHEMIAN

When Wyche made the difficult decision to leave its long-time home along the Reedy River, we faced a challenge, and an opportunity. We recognized that the 44 East Camperdown Way site was special. Not only is it beautiful; it also occupies a strategic spot at the east end of the Liberty Bridge. The right development there could transform the experience of those enjoying the park and the bridge. The wrong one could detract from one of Greenville’s jewels. We considered numerous options for the property, none of which seemed quite right. So we were delighted when the Kessler Collection came along. Kessler understood the site and its unique attributes, and was willing to spend the time and money to design a special hotel that would enhance the bridge, the park, and the falls. We are proud of the part we played in bringing the Grand Bohemian to life in Greenville.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

A CONNECTION TO CONSERVATION

Enjoyment of nature, and a commitment to protecting it, is in Wyche’s DNA. Many of our lawyers have done extraordinary work in the realm of conservation, but it is impossible to tell our story without talking about Tommy Wyche. In 1973, Tommy founded Naturaland Trust, among the first and most successful conservation land trusts in the Southeast. Tommy conceived and executed a master plan for the protection of 40,000 acres connecting the Poinsett and Table Rock watersheds. Thanks to Tommy’s vision and the work and commitment of many Wyche lawyers and other leaders, land protected by the Trust includes Jones Gap State Park, Caesar’s Head State Park, and Raven Cliffs Falls. Tommy also provided essential leadership in acquisition and protection of Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area, covering 50,000 acres in North and South Carolina.

A LASTING
IMPACT

Our commitment to Tommy’s legacy continues as we work closely with conservation organizations and community partners, assisting in protecting large tracts of ecologically sensitive land with conservation easement agreements and grants.

“I hope the future generations will continue to protect our natural resources—the mountains, the waters, the landscape.”

Tommy Wyche
OUR FUTURE

LOOKING AHEAD

Wyche’s vision for the future is rooted in the values that have been the hallmarks of the firm’s success: excellence over revenue maximization, community over narrow self-interest, ingenuity over brute force.

“The opportunity to be at the forefront of growth and change in Greenville and the state of South Carolina is a rare and special gift. We are incredibly grateful for the clients and friends who have worked alongside us to strengthen the community we have known and loved for generations, and we look forward to continuing that spirit of service for another century.”

Wallace Lightsey,
Member of Wyche, P.A.

THE NEXT
ERA

We are proud of Wyche’s history, but the best way to honor that history is to move forward with a renewed commitment to the principles of excellence and community that have guided us through the last century. As South Carolina becomes part of an increasingly connected world, we are eager to share Wyche’s special vision with our clients, our future colleagues, and our friends around the globe.

TELL US YOUR STORY

A SHARED HISTORY

Our story is the story of our clients, friends, and community. If you have a Wyche memory to share – whether it’s a funny anecdote or a heartfelt remembrance – we’d love to hear from you. Our celebration would be incomplete without those who have been by our side along the way.

SHARE YOUR STORY

WYCHE
LEGACY
COMMUNITY
Impact
ENVIRONMENTAL
STEWARDSHIP
LOOKING AHEAD
THE FUTURE
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A Rich Legacy Spanning 100 Years