# Sears Tower is now Willis Tower **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234 "2009-03-12T18:17:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/1 "2009-03-12T18:17:23Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap\_on\_re\_us/sears\_tower\_no\_more\_1](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_re_us/sears_tower_no_more_1) Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/2 "2009-03-12T18:24:35Z")
Nobody who isn’t forced to will call it by the new name, I’d assume. Once a name gets into the consciousness, it’s stuck. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/3 "2009-03-12T18:31:25Z")
Chicago has a big Willis? ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/4 "2009-03-12T18:49:10Z")
The biggest Willis in the USA! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/5 "2009-03-12T20:42:50Z")
Whatchoo talkin’ bout? Willis? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/6 "2009-03-13T02:50:47Z")
Let’s give it the Macy’s treatment. I, for one, am never going to… umm… get that… Willis insurance stuff… ever again. That’ll learn 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/7 "2009-03-16T03:40:12Z")
My cousin was visiting last week from \*\*Yerba Buena, \*\*and we decided to go from my house in \*\*Niles Center \*\*to go downtown to \*\*Marshall Field’s \*\*to get some tickets for a \*\*Reginald Dwight \*\*concert at \*\*Rosemont Horizon. \*\*My mom wanted us to take the train to \*\*North Western Station, \*\*but my dad’s in \*\*Constantinople \*\*this week so we thought it would be easier to just drive his \*\*Datsun \*\*downtown on the \*\*Northwest Expressway. \*\*My cousin wanted to see stuff along the lakefront, so we cut across \*\*Center Street \*\*so he could see the \*\*Playboy Building \*\* on \*\*Lincoln Park Boulevard \*\*and drove past \*\*Municipal Pier. \*\*When we got to \*\*Achsah Bond Drive, \*\*we realized we had gone too far, so we turned on \*\*12th Street \*\*over the **Illinois Central** tracks and finally found a parking space behind an \*\*Illinois Bell \*\*truck on \*\*Sherman Street \*\*. We walked up **Fifth Avenue** and caught a **Ravenswood** train around the **Poly Loop** to Field’s but the concert was sold out. We talked about going to a game at \*\*Comiskey Park, \*\*but decided to just go home, get some \*\*Mrs. Japp’s \*\*and watch it on **WNBQ.** During the game there was a news teaser that Sears Tower was changing it’s name and we were laughing about the stupid idea that anyone would ever call it by a new name. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/8 "2009-05-26T16:35:28Z")
To me it’s just a name, and unimportant. I bet it never catches on, or if it does it’ll take decades. I still call the Sox ballpark Comiskey. On a side note, how 'bout that glass bottomed observatory extension? I gotta check that out! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/9 "2009-05-27T16:00:58Z")
I’m as big of a lover of Chicago history as anybody, but along with Marshall Field’s, this is just another “who cares?” issue. We still have the concept of private property in this country (so far, but then Obama’s only been around for a hundred days or so), which means the owners of the property can call it whatever the hell they want! If the Fields family or the Sears corporation didn’t care enough to hang onto the properties, why the hell should anyone else care? ---
**Author:** ![spywholoved](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spywholoved/32/10368_2.png) [@spywholoved](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spywholoved)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/10 "2009-06-02T23:01:22Z")
Seems a little weird, but \*\*Mr. Downtown \*\*is right. Eventually those of us who stick with “sears” will be crazy old codgers. Besides, “Biggest building in the country! Named after a dying retailer that hasn’t been here in 15 years!” isn’t the best marketing plan to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/11 "2009-06-04T03:10:51Z")
Yeah, right…Willis Tower. Just like the Bean is officially called “Millenium Gate,” and just like that ginormous screw-shaped building will be called anything but The Screw if it is ever actually completed. Or just like Marina City is called anything but The Corn Cobs…people will call a building what they want to call it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/12 "2009-06-04T09:36:05Z")
In Nashville, the BellSouth Building is never called anything except the Batman Building. [http://www.hungryphotographer.org/pixelpost/images/2005092301364623\_20050916\_6.jpg](http://www.hungryphotographer.org/pixelpost/images/2005092301364623_20050916_6.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/13 "2009-06-06T21:14:47Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > Yeah, right…Willis Tower. Just like the Bean is officially called “Millenium Gate,” … Actually, “The Bean” is officially called [“Cloud Gate”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gate). ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/15 "2011-01-16T13:56:17Z")
I, for one, will not visit the Sears Tower until they clear out all of the god damned zombies!!! ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/16 "2011-01-29T16:07:48Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I, for one, will not visit the Sears Tower until they clear out all of the god damned zombies!!! Spammers, I’d guess. But since it’s alive again… > [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Nobody who isn’t forced to will call it by the new name, I’d assume. Agreed. Not matter what the big sign at the top of [this building](http://wirednewyork.com/images/skyscrapers/metlife-building/metlife_grand_central.jpg) says, the only Met Life building I know of is [this one](http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/manhattan/midtown/metlifebuilding/metlife.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/17 "2011-01-30T15:52:28Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Agreed. Not matter what the big sign at the top of [this building](http://wirednewyork.com/images/skyscrapers/metlife-building/metlife_grand_central.jpg) says Yeah, that is the Pan Am building. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sears-tower-is-now-willis-tower/489234/18 "2011-02-08T03:01:12Z")
I don’t mind the new name as it lends to the nickname of the Big Willy.