The Epic Center is a 385-foot (117 m), 22-story skyscraper in Wichita, Kansas.[2] It is the tallest building in the state of Kansas, holding that title since its completion in 1987.
History
Construction of the Epic Center began in October 1985.[2] It officially opened for business in 1987. Created as a lure for businesses to the downtown area, the Epic Center helped create a "big city" feel for Wichita at a time when the economy was fluctuating. The building has 22 stories above ground level.[2]
Originally, the plans called for two twin towers to be built, but those plans were scrapped in favor of a single tower due to the fear that the occupancy level would never reach near capacity. At the time, this led to a local joke referring to the development as "Epic Off-Center", but that epithet is now largely forgotten.
In 2007, in a $1.4 billion transaction the Epic Center, One and Two Brittany Place and 31 other buildings, were acquired by real estate investment firm Behringer Harvard, when it acquired IPC US REIT.[3]
In 2015, the Epic Center changed hands again, being purchased for $11.5 million by real estate investor Phil Ruffin.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/EpicCenterFromGarvey1999.jpg/220px-EpicCenterFromGarvey1999.jpg)
Today
Today the building's tenants include law firms, banking and loan corporations, a field office of the Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation, and many other businesses.[citation needed]
The Epic Center has 298,000 square feet (27,700 m2) of office space. Fleeson Gooing Law Firm LLC, accounting firm Allen, Gibbs & Houlik LC and the North American headquarters of manufacturing firm Viega NA Inc. are its largest tenants.[3]
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Wichita
- List of tallest buildings in Kansas
- List of tallest buildings by U.S. state
References
- ^ "Epic Center". Skyscraper Center. CTBUH. Retrieved 2017-07-29.
- ^ a b c "Epic Center data". Emporis. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b Chris Moon (Dec 13, 2007). "Epic Center sold". Wichita Business Journal – via bizjournals.com.