Name changes: Willis Tower

[Martha]

I understand that the Sears Tower in Chicago will now be called the Willis Tower. So will you in Chicago go along with that? http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-willis-tower-0313-mar13,0,1361480.story

We have several bridges in town that go across a fairly large bay between Minnesota and Wisconsin. One bridge was always called the High Bridge. Then quite a few years ago it was named the John A. Blatnik bridge. John A. Blatnik Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Residents still call it the High Bridge.

We do call the other big bridge by the proper name, the Bong Bridge, named after a war hero. Who wouldn't call it the Bong Bridge. So we have the High Bridge and the Bong Bridge. HFWR will be appreciative I am sure.

 

[REWahoo]

So we have the High Bridge and the Bong Bridge.

Groovy!

 

[W2R]

We have a bridge in eastern New Orleans (near Michoud) that when new was painted green... so even though it has not been painted green in over a decade, it will always and forever be known as the Green Bridge.

It has some other name, that it is called on the news and so on. Nobody ever calls it that, though, so all that does is confuse people.

As for the Sears Tower, it will always be the Sears Tower to me (but then, I don't live in Chicago).

 

[CuppaJoe]

We will always have Sears! I will never speak of the great hot fudge sundaes at the Willis Tower soda fountain. Never, never, never.

May Willis go the way of PacBell Park, formerly known as SBC Park. If you think I'm gonna go along with their attempt to call it AT&T park, have i got a bridge to sell ya.

 

[ziggy29]

May Willis go the way of PacBell Park, formerly known as SBC Park. If you think I'm gonna go along with their attempt to call it AT&T park, have i got a bridge to sell ya.

I call it PacBC&T Park...

 

[CuppaJoe]

I call it PacBC&T Park...

I like that, it takes the out of the phony park. Can't wait 'till April, this will be my first year going as a Wed. aft. retiree, always wanted to do that.

 

[MichaelB]

I understand that the Sears Tower in Chicago will now be called the Willis Tower. So will you in Chicago go along with that?

Hey, just 'cause somebody else got the deed don't mean it's gonna change name. An just 'cause the new owners change the nameplate don't mean folks are gonna call it by the new name anyways. If anything, it'll probably be called "Da Sears Tower - you know, da one dat Willis bought".

 

[HFWR]

We do call the other big bridge by the proper name, the Bong Bridge, named after a war hero. Who wouldn't call it the Bong Bridge. So we have the High Bridge and the Bong Bridge. HFWR will be appreciative I am sure.

Cough cough cough cough hack hack cough cough...

Smooth...

 

[Urchina]

Sort of on the subject (of things with names that locals don't use), when I was living in Portland, OR two major freeways were always referred to by their local names. HWY 26, heading west from Portland, was the Sunset Highway, and I-84, on the east side of the city, went by the moniker The Banfield. If you were from out of town and listening to the radio traffic reports it could be very confusing.

As for changing the name of landmarks, how much hubris does that take?

 

[aaronc879]

I've lived 200 miles from the Sears Tower all my life. Visited it multiple times. To me it is, and always will be, the Sears Tower.

 

[SarahW]

The tallest building in Houston is the "Williams Tower." However, it was originally Transco Tower and though has been renamed for many years, is still called Transco by many...including me. I HATE IT when a landmark is renamed.

Which reminds me...I also HATE naming sports stadiums/arenas after some lame product, i.e., "Minutemaid Park." Ack.

 

[harley]

After all the crap we've been through with our Sears credit card, I'll be glad to call it the Willis Tower. Next time I have to call them, I'll say "whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

 

[OAG]

Since my middle name is Willis and I am from Chicago originally can I call it "my tower"?

 

[Midpack]

I do live in the Chicago suburbs and local news channels are reporting residents will always call it the Sears Tower. Could be but...

They said the same thing when the venerable Marshall Fields store on State St became Macy's a few years ago after being MF since the late 1800's. Very few people are still calling it Marshall Fields anymore. We'll see...

 

[haha]

I do live in the Chicago suburbs and local news channels are reporting residents will always call it the Sears Tower. Could be but...

They said the same thing when the venerable Marshall Fields store on State St became Macy's a few years ago after being MF since the late 1800's. Very few people are still calling it Marshall Fields anymore. We'll see...

Similar story here with the Bon Marché. Founded in Seattle in 1890 by a German immigrant who had worked in retail in Paris, it was the landmark on the western edge of the downtown retail core for over 100 years.

Unlike Nordstrom it was a true deparatment store with everything from beds and furniture and pot and pans through fabric and sewing supplies to quality men's, women's and children's clothing.

When we cam up here we pretty much outfitted our home and our selves from the Bon, bought wedding and graduation gifts there, etc. Over the years various suburban mall Bon stores were built, but unlike in many cities, the Seattle downtown core remained the most upscale shopping destination of the region.

Somewhere along the line Federated bought ownership of the stores, and they renamed them Bon-Macy's in 2003, but dropped the Bon part in 2005 to become Macy's. I still sometimes call the building landmark (between 3rd and 4th on Pine St.) "The Bon", mostly when talking to other older citizens, or planning a meeting downtown.

But mostly it is just Macy's. Who wants to be seen as a relic in today's world?

The Bon Marché - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ha