In The News

April 4, 2006
For Immediate Release

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY ON UNIQUE OFFICE BUILDING
AT LAKESIDE AT THE WATERFRONT

(Wichita, KS) - Ground has been broken for a new office building at Lakeside at the Waterfront that will feature a stone exterior and the largest saltwater aquarium in the state of Kansas. The announcement was made by Paul Jackson, president of Vantage Point Properties and developer of Lakeside at the Waterfront who said construction on the building will be completed by year end.

The building's first tenant will be Northrock, Inc., the lodging and investment company owned by Wichita entrepreneur and philanthropist, Barry Downing. Downing's company will occupy 5,000-square-feet on the first floor and will co-own the building with Vantage Point Properties. Joining Northrock, Inc. will be the law firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker, LLP, which will occupy 14,000-square-feet on the building's third floor. The firm is currently located at 150 South Main in downtown Wichita.

The 41,160-square-foot, three-story structure will be the largest building at Lakeside at the Waterfront. With its stone exterior, the building will be a striking contrast to the red brick used throughout the Waterfront development. Situated directly on the water, it will include balconies and terraced patios overlooking Waterfront Lake. Leading up to the entrance will be a garden courtyard with lush plantings and sculpture accents.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the office will be the inclusion of an 8,000-gallon saltwater aquarium in the building's lobby. The aquarium will measure 22 feet long by 9 feet high by 6 feet wide and will include dozens of unique varieties of saltwater fish. The aquarium is the brainchild of Downing, who is an avid scuba diver and nature lover. According to Downing, "We just really feel this is Wichita's premier office site," said Downing. "We plan to be here for a long time so we decided to go the extra mile and incorporate the aquarium and upscale building finishes to create an exceptional office environment."

Jackson added that maintaining the aquarium will be no small task. "We will hire scuba divers about six times a year to handle cleaning and upkeep on the aquarium," Jackson said. "That alone should be a fun and interesting event." Spangenberg Phillips is project architect and Dondlinger & Sons Construction is the general contractor for the new building. Interiors will be designed by Neal Stewart Design Associates of Dallas.

Plans were originally announced for the 16-acre Lakeside at the Waterfront in January 2005. Vantage Point Properties owns eight acres of the development. Box Development, L.L.C. owns four acres and Delta Dental Plan of Kansas owns the remaining four acres where they are building their new corporate headquarters. Vantage Point Properties is developing three multi-story office buildings ranging in size from 28,000 to 41,000-square-feet. All of the offices will feature modified prairie-style architecture using clean, horizontal
lines and wide windows to take full advantage of the lakeside view. Extensive landscaping and pedestrian walkways with outdoor seating will accent the upscale office environment. When complete, the entire Lakeside at the Waterfront complex will include up to six buildings and 167,500-square-feet making it one of the city's largest office developments.

Ground was broken in March for the Adams & Jones Building which will be home to the Wichita law firm of Adams & Jones, Chartered. Work is proceeding on that building and the firm expects to move to their new offices this fall. They will occupy 6,500-square-feet of the 29,000-square-foot, two-story building.

In addition to Lakeside at the Waterfront, Vantage Point Properties also owns and manages the T-Mobile Call Center at 2525 North Woodlawn and will soon announce plans for a new 60-acre commercial project in the Andover area. The company recently announced the pending sale of two of its developments, Wilson Estates Office Park and Northrock Place. For information on Vantage Point Properties visit www.vantagepointproperties.com.