Chicagoans up in arms over plans to rechristen tower after U.K. insurance firm
Now this is a kind of protectionism we Canadians can grasp. The Windy City is in a twist because its iconic Sears Tower is changing its name to Willis—and not in honour of the older brother on Diff’rent Strokes. The Willis Tower will be named after a British insurance firm that occupies all of three floors in the 110-storey structure, which for a long time was the tallest building in the world. That’s three floors more than Sears, which moved out years ago, leaving only its name to remind Chicagoans who built the colossus in the first place. You’d think switching corporate namesakes would be no big deal. But this is a living piece of Americana we’re talking about. So folks in the city are understandably vexed, and reluctant to embrace the change. Just as we would be if they renamed the CN Tower the, ah, Virgin Rail Tower.