Sears Tower Name Change Becomes Official Tomorrow
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jul 15, 2009 6:20PM
The day many have dreaded - and even more have dismissed - will finally arrive tomorrow. The Sears Tower will cease to be and instead, in a ceremony, the building - the tallest in the U.S. of A. - will become The Willis Tower officially. Last week, while Prescott and I were teetering over The Ledge, reader Melody - who works in the Tower - sent us an email saying:
The changeover is continuing slowly but surely. First the Sears, Roebuck & Co. chisled marble disappeared (replaced with just plain marble). And now the elevator that takes you to and from the Sky Deck thanks you for visiting the "Willis Tower." This met with groans and then a full chorus of boo's (and one "Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?") this morning from the tenents - who were there because the building opened up the skydeck (and the new ledges) to tenants for free.
The building has been named the Sears Tower since its opening in 1973 even though Sears & Roebuck hasn't been a tenant since 1992. The new name is, as you'll recall, in honor of the London-based real estate firm that is the new landlord of the city's tentpole. The Tower will also soon be undergoing a new greening initiative as well as the construction of a new 50-story hotel.
So what say you, Readers? Do you fall in the "How Dare They!" camp or the "Who Cares?" group?