One of the most iconic buildings in the world will soon have a new name. Sears Tower, at one point the tallest skyscraper on earth, will be known as
Willis Tower starting this summer.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker, didn't have to pay anything for the name. After consolidating
its area offices to the Tower, Willis was given naming rights to the 36-year-old skyscraper. It was a package deal, of sorts. According to the
Tribune, Willis is hoping its newest venture increases the company's name recognition in the United States. Apparently, it's a big player across the
pond, but few Yanks know anything about it.
Clearly the move is already having an effect in Search. Lookups on "willis tower," "sears tower," and "what is willis company" immediately soared into
the stratosphere. But some wonder if native Chicagoans will play along with the name change. CNN quotes a local historian as saying that it will be
hard for residents "to shift and start calling it (Sears Tower) something else."
Indeed, a message board on a Chicago station's website features many sarcastic and "Is nothing sacred?"-type remarks. One telling quote: "They can
rename it whatever they want, the people who live here will always refer to it as The Sears Tower." defstarsteve - 3-12-2009 at 05:36 PM
oh this is too easy....
what co talkin bout...Discipline - 3-12-2009 at 06:31 PM
People will still call it the Sears Tower. A few years back the Skydome in Toronto had its name changed to The Rogers Center, but I've never heard
anybody call it that.MarkV - 3-12-2009 at 06:33 PM
I still call it the shitty dome in Toronto.
I was thinking last night how it's kind of funny how the tallest building in the country shares a name w/ a dino-department store.Six66Mike - 3-12-2009 at 11:17 PM
haha first thing I thought as well, whatchu talkin bout willis tower. I also call it skydome as everyone else does. Do sports commentators even call
it rogers yet?Jason the Magnificent - 3-13-2009 at 08:04 AM
Everything's for sale. No worse than Comiskey being renamed US Cellular field. Or Marshalls becoming Macys. We're used to having our culture sold to
the highest bidder here.clevohardcore - 3-13-2009 at 08:35 AM
JACOBS FIELD is now PROGRESSIVE FIELD. Named after the insurance company. MarkV - 3-13-2009 at 06:41 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Jason the Magnificent
Everything's for sale. No worse than Comiskey being renamed US Cellular field. Or Marshalls becoming Macys. We're used to having our culture sold to
the highest bidder here.
Marshalls became Macys?Jason the Magnificent - 3-13-2009 at 07:13 PM
yep.Discipline - 3-13-2009 at 09:41 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Six66Mike
haha first thing I thought as well, whatchu talkin bout willis tower. I also call it skydome as everyone else does. Do sports commentators even call
it rogers yet?
Not sure since I don't watch any sports.MarkV - 3-13-2009 at 10:45 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Jason the Magnificent
yep.
When did that happen? I know Macy's acquired Filenes and a couple of others over the past decade or so. Marshalls is kind of a different type of store
though.Jason the Magnificent - 3-13-2009 at 11:14 PM
Maybe 2 years ago?Six66Mike - 3-14-2009 at 02:40 AM
All the old hockey rinks got renamed when they were built or bought, no more Forum in Montreal or Odd in Buffalo.
Is Wrigley's Field still named the same or Candlestick Park in SF? You can't fuck with the classics, though apparently you can and do.MarkV - 3-14-2009 at 06:23 PM
Wrigley is still Wrigley and Candlestick doesn't exist at all, anymore, nor was it a classic by any stretch of the imagination.Jason the Magnificent - 3-14-2009 at 08:33 PM
