Municipalities selling naming rights

Factual Questions
1

Has any municipality ever sold the naming rights to a famous road or landmark?

New York City’s “West Side Highway” was renamed the “Joe DiMaggio Highway” in 1999, and their “Triborough Bridge” became the “Robert F. Kennedy Bridge” in 2008. I often wonder how much the city might be able to raise for its coffers if it would sell the name of the Lincoln Tunnel or the Brooklyn Bridge or Central Park to some publicity-hungry corporation.

The Brendan Byrne Arena (in the NJ Meadowlands) became the Continental Airlines Arena, and now it is the Izod Center. Why can’t this be done with other properties?

To insure that this question meets the criteria for GQ, let me clarify: I am NOT asking for speculation on why New York City hasn’t done this. I AM asking if such a thing has ever been done elsewhere.

2

Well, there’s all those stadiums and arenas, of course, but I’m guessing that’s not what you’re thinking of. I don’t know of any examples of other famous landmarks or major roads, but I’ve long thought that this was inevitable. I expect that within my lifetime I’ll be driving along the Cingular Freeway looking for the McDonald’s Boulevard exit.

The nearest Home Depot to where I live is set back a ways from a nearby thoroughfare. The short road that leads from the thoroughfare to the entrance driveway is called Home Depot Drive. The road leads to an apartment complex, too- dunno if the residents have street addresses of Home Depot Drive or not.

3

Some states have sold their toll turnpikes to private companies to run but I think they kept the names of the roads.

4

There’s DISH, Texas which sold its name (formerly Clark) for free DISH network service for all residents.

5

The mayor of Topeka unofficially changed the name to “Google” in March, but no money changed hands and the maps haven’t noted the change.

6

Hot Springs, New Mexico changed their name to “Truth or Consequences” in 1950 in order to get the radio show of that name to broadcast from there. That’s selling things pretty cheap, but it is selling the town name. The name remains Truth or Consequences to this day.

7

:o I never heard of DISH, TX, but I should’ve remembered about Truth or Consequences! Argh!

8

There used to be a Builders Square in Niagara Falls, New York, that was on Builders Way.

Since the chain no longer exists, I wonder if the street was renamed.

9

A road, Stadium Way, in San Diego became Qualcomm Way when the stadium became Qualcomm Stadium. I believe that the stadium now has a different name, but the road remains Qualcomm. I don’t think that exactly qualifies as a landmark, though.

10

Similarly, Halfway OR changed its name to Half.com in return for various considerations, including $100,000. They’ve since changed the name back.

11

Chicago floated the idea a couple of years ago, but nothing has yet come of it. A number of features in the city’s Millennium Park, however, do bear the names of corporate donors (BP Bridge, Chase Promenade, Boeing Gallery, Exelon Pavilions) as do features named for personal philanthropists (Wrigley, Pritzker, Harris, Lurie) and foundations (McCormick Tribune). Transit agencies have also discussed the idea (Boston and Chicago come to mind, and I think Philly actually did it for one stop).

Those streets named for their retail destinations were almost always built by the store (or its landlord). Also, some states don’t allow commercial destinations to appear on freeway exit signs, so you end up with “Outlet Mall Blvd” and the like.