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Home › Money

The Greatest Depression | 03/12/2009 1:20 pm

Sears Tower to Be Renamed 'Willis Tower'

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Sears Tower to become 'Willis Tower'

The Sears Tower will be renamed "Willis Tower" this summer.

The name change was agreed to as a lease term with Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker. The 110-story skyscraper is the nation’s tallest building. Sears, Roebuck & Co. opened the giant in 1973 as its corporate headquarters.

Chicagoans have already expressed their frustration with the name change.

Tell us below what you think of the name change. Is this a new trend in this recession? What landmark is next to sacrifice its name for money? Wrigley Field? The Empire State Building? The Golden Gate Bridge? Bergdorf Goodman?!

Click here for the full story from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Read more about: Bergdorf Goodman, Business, Chicago, Economy, Empire State Building, Finance, Golden Gate Bridge, News, Recession, Sears Tower, Willis Group Holdings, Wrigley Fields

18 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

EKA -

Kinda gives me the "Willie’s" …. sad that a landmark will lose its American identity. When my son was little he used to call it the Serious Tower ;-)

What bothers me more is that the new Shea Stadium will still be called Citi Stadium, after we had to bail them out ! 

By EKA - on 03/12/2009 3:23 pm
DeBúrca obj
This will be the new way to tell a Chicagoan from a tourist (one of many!). No Chicagoan will call the Sears Tower the "Willis Tower". I cringe just typing it. And don’t ask me where "US Cellular Park" is either, because I never heard of it!
By DeBúrca obj on 03/12/2009 3:58 pm
rocky rocky
LOL! I’m not a Chicagoan, but I had a similar thought. Yankee Stadium will forever be the park that Ruth built! Poop on everything/anything else (nicest way I know how to express that particular feeling).
By rocky rocky on 03/12/2009 8:16 pm
Queenie .
Have to agree with you on this one—-Sox Park will always be Sox Park or, ok, once in a while Comiskey Park is ok to use.  But if you are really from the ‘hood——Sox Park is the only name we allow.
By Queenie . on 03/12/2009 9:08 pm
Belinda Joy
And so it begins…. I have been griping for years with the realization that we are essentially owned by other countries. Almost all of our landmarks, in cities across the U.S. have gone quietly (and in some instances not so quietly) out of our hands and into the hands of China, Japan, Germany, London and Middle East investors. Why wouldn’t they want to negotiate as part of their lease agreements naming rights? I don’t blame them. But the bigger question in all of this is why did we have to sell to them? Wait for it….wait for it…..EXACTLY! And that brings us back to the slice of Hell our new president is forced to deal with. Truly amazing isn’t it?
By Belinda Joy on 03/12/2009 4:16 pm
Community Manager

Let’s keep the discussion on-topic and not make everything about politics.  Thanks!

By Community Manager on 03/12/2009 4:43 pm
Belinda Joy

"Tell us below what you think of the name change. Is this a new trend in this recession? What landmark is next to sacrifice its name for money? Wrigley Field? The Empire State Building? The Golden Gate Bridge? Bergdorf Goodman?!" By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Oh I see. You encourage your readers to address the affect of landmarks being bought up by foreign entities by asking if "we believe this is a trend in this recession."  The very recession that I addressed in my post that our president is dealing with. Yet your response to my post is  “Let’s keep the discussion on-topic and not make everything about politics.  Thanks!”

Sorry, I thought the recession was tied directly to politics, silly me!

By Belinda Joy on 03/12/2009 6:04 pm
Stacy Davies
Things like this are the reason we all go to Europe and are in awe. HISTORY. Our own is clearly for sale.
By Stacy Davies on 03/12/2009 5:51 pm
Sylvia M

It is very sad to see the Sears Tower get a different name.  The good thing is, to those in Chicago and elsewhere who recognize the shape in the skyline, it will always be the Sears Tower.  Just as in San Francisco, Candlestick will always be Candlestick and not whatever goofball corporate name they tried to pin on it over the last few years (I can’t even remember - see???)

The concept of selling naming rights started long before the recession, so it really isn’t a recession or political issue.  Naming ballparks, stadiums and pretty much everything else started well over a decade ago.  This was mainly due to the public not wanting to "foot the bill" for every new stadium.  To offset the costs of construction, the idea of naming rights came into play.  Sadly, the public still foot a large percentage of the bill in tax breaks, public bonds or both.

By Sylvia M on 03/12/2009 6:55 pm
HA BIBI
I live in Chicago and when ever I drive by the Sears Tower, I always say……Isn’t "The Sears Tower" beautiful……I know I’ll always call her by her original name.
By HA BIBI on 03/12/2009 8:16 pm
Queenie .
It’s like Marshall Fields now being Macy’s.  Over time, we kind of have to get used to calling it Macy’s.  The hurt lessens over time.
By Queenie . on 03/12/2009 9:05 pm
caj p
If it’s being taken over by another company I see no problem in them changing the name, it was Sears Tower for years and now belongs to someone else so they have every right to change it to whatever they like.  People may still regard it as Sears Tower if they want but the name will change no matter what.
By caj p on 03/12/2009 9:40 pm
Bonnie Oliver

The practice of naming highways, airports or sports stadiums after known dignitaries, or a company or a politician I have always found as a rather boring practice.

It seems as if (in California) that every freeway or overpass is named after a legislator either serving in Sacramento or Washington DC.  Why  do we do this?  Or, rather why do they? Are they seeking a form of immortality?  Are they congratulating themselves because through their legislative efforts the funds were procured to build a new section of the freeway or a new overpass (or underpass for that matter)?  Sounds grandiose to me.

And to rename existing buildings is also rather perverse.  But I guess that old saying that everything has a price is correct… even landmarks.

By Bonnie Oliver on 03/12/2009 11:54 pm
Alex Lucas
There’s an online petition at http://www.ItsTheSearsTower.com that will be delivered to Willis Group holdings. It probably won’t help, but it can’t hurt.
By Alex Lucas on 03/13/2009 2:38 am
Community Manager
Great link!
By Community Manager on 03/13/2009 7:53 am