Thomas Knight Duke leaves Nova Scotia with his family, traveling through Maine and New York before settling in Detroit. With tools in hand, he begins constructing commercial buildings, including the Detroit Sanitarium, contributing to the city’s rapid expansion driven by manufacturing and business growth.
Thomas Knight Duke’s son, George Duke, leaves school early to work in construction, later expanding into commercial buildings and developing hundreds of semi-custom homes from Rosedale Park in Detroit to Ypsilanti, supporting the post-World War II housing boom.
George’s son, Thomas A. Duke, follows in the family tradition, launching his own independent construction business. His work spans commercial structures, custom homes, and apartment properties. He also founds and acquires banks, further expanding his business footprint in Detroit’s northwest suburbs.
Seeing an opportunity in commercial real estate, Thomas A. Duke establishes the Thomas Duke Company, determined to grow a one-man operation into a leading brokerage firm serving Southeast Michigan. He builds the business independently and singlehandedly, learning every aspect from the ground up.
The company expands into brokerage, property management, and investment sales, becoming a trusted partner in leasing, acquisitions, and land development. Over time, the firm builds, acquires, and renovates more than 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space, consistently exceeding market occupancy averages.
Thomas Duke Company integrates market analytics and technology to provide clients with deeper real estate insights. The firm perfects a broad suite of brokerage and property management services, managing assets both in-house and for third-party clients.
With Trevor Duke now a key part of the company, five generations of Dukes continue the legacy. Today, Thomas Duke Company remains a well-respected, trusted resource for commercial real estate across Southeast Michigan, with a history of thousands of successful transactions, developments, and repositioned properties—and the future promises even more.
