A Tower by Any Other Name

Sometimes we humans can be a stubborn species. When we set our minds to something it is often very difficult to ever change it. Case in point? Changing the name of a building which has had the same name for over 30 years. The building in this case is the famed Sears Tower of Chicago; currently the tallest building in the western hemisphere. Now I know that the CN Tower in Toronto is the tallest building but seeing as how it's a free-standing tower and not a occupy-able (is that even a word?) building you can say that the Sears Tower is the tallest 'office' building in the western hemisphere. But semantics aside, I mentioned name changes.

Well it appears that the Sears Tower will now be known by a new name; the Willis Tower. The building's original 'big name' tenant was the Sears Roebuck and Co. which moved out of the building back in 1992. However, since the time it was first opened the building was always known as the Sears Tower. Now, in exchange for moving into the tower and occupying a great deal of space (and promising to bring in thousands of new jobs thanks to their work) the Willis Group Holdings insurance company from England is requesting to change the name from the Sears Tower to the Willis Tower. Now as a majority tenant and a company that has shelled out big bucks for the right to move into the tower I guess it makes sense for the Willis Group to request the name change but the residents of Chicago aren't all that thrilled.

Now although the name change has been officially announced, it will likely be a long time before local parlance is changed and the name is more or less set in stone in the public psyche. This isn't the first time though that a building of prominence has undergone a name change much to the local public's dismay. Many buildings in New York (such as the Pan American building which is now the MetLife Building) underwent name changes though long-time residents of the city and surrounding areas will still use the old names. Similarly here in DC people who have lived here for decades still refer to Ronald Reagan National Airport as National Airport. It always has been and always will be.

People make the arguement that it's silly to hold on to such sentimental things as a name or a reference. I mean after all it's not like the tower is suddenly going to disappear. The tower has been a part of the Chicago skyline for decades and will continue to be one in the decades to come. That being said, just because the name will change, it doesn't mean that the place changes. Yet there's just something that's so hard to describe that seems to go against wanting to change names of historic places like that. For example, the Watergate Hotel in DC is also coming up for auction and it's likely that someone else could take over. If that happens then the name will change. What will be reactions then?

The Watergate changed the course of history for one president and was the neighboring home for the problems of another president. In this case there is a bit of dubious history attached to the building but that doesn't mean that it can just have it's name changed. But I guess in the modern world it isn't all that surprising that such events occur. I mean look at stadiums and sports arenas. They undergo name changes so often that it's like the place has a revolving door policy. Still, when it comes to something historic like the Watergate or the Sears Tower, changing the name almost seems like it's taking that location's identity and place in history.