sears tower became the willis tower in 2009.
sears tower became the willis tower in 2009.
when did the sears tower become the willis tower?
in 2009
the willis tower (colloquial: sears tower, its name for 36 years) is a 110-story, skyscraper in chicago, illinois. at completion in 1973, it surpassed the world trade center in new york to become the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 25 years; it was the tallest building in the western hemisphere for 41 years, until the new one world trade center surpassed it in 2014. willis tower is considered a seminal achievement for architect fazlur rahman khan. it is currently the second-tallest building in the united states and the western hemisphere – and the 16th-tallest in the world. each year, more than one million people visit its observation deck, the highest in the united states, making it one of chicago's most popular tourist destinations. the structure was renamed in 2009 by the willis group as a term of its lease.
willis tower
the naming rights are valid for 15 years, so it is possible that the building's name could change again as soon as 2024. the "chicago tribune" joked that the building's new name reminded them of the oft-repeated "what you talkin' 'bout, willis?" catchphrase from the 1980s american television sitcom "diff'rent strokes" and considered the name-change ill-advised in "a city with a deep appreciation of tradition and a healthy ego, where some chicagoans still mourn the switch from marshall field's to macy's". this feeling was confirmed in a july 16, 2009 cnn article in which some chicago area residents expressed reluctance to accept the willis tower name, and in an article that appeared in the october 2010 issue of "chicago" magazine that ranked the building among chicago's 40 most important, the author pointedly refused to acknowledge the name change and referred to the building as the "sears tower". "time" magazine called the name change one of the top 10 worst corporate name changes and pointed to negative press coverage by local news outlets and online petitions from angry residents. the naming rights issue continued into 2013, when eric zorn noted in the "chicago tribune" that "we're stubborn about such things. this month marked four years since the former sears tower was re-christened willis tower, and the new name has yet to stick."
willis tower