July 17, 2009

'Willis Tower' name will live in shadow of 'Sears Tower'

First came the puzzled looks. Then the confused glances. And finally the questions.

"You mean the Sears Tower?"

On the day that the nation's tallest building was officially renamed Willis Tower, at least a few Chicagoans were still in the dark -- or, at the least, denial -- about the skyscraper's new identity. Residents, visitor guides and even some taxi drivers responded with blank stares when asked for directions to the Willis Tower.

"We don't have Willis Tower. There is no Willis Tower here," said Momansor Hassan, 43, a cabdriver for 19 years.

Not until Thursday, that is. The new signs and flags outside the 1,450-foot skyscraper were hard to dismiss as crowds gathered to witness the building's first day as Willis. The skyscraper, which opened in 1973 as the then-world's-tallest building, was named after Sears Roebuck and Co. It remained Sears Tower even after Sears relocated to Hoffman Estates in 1992.

Chicago Tribune

No comments:

Post a Comment