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The building formerly known as the Sears Tower became the Willis Tower on July 16th, 2009. That the naming rights to the tallest building in the United States were sold was old news at that time, but there was much hullabaloo and griping nevertheless. I see both sides to the argument, namely that 1) the term Sears Tower has little to do with the Sears company and instead conjures visions of a great black tower whose strong lines, simple form and massive stature are an allegory for its home city; and 2) that Sears Co. left the city and took its jobs and tax dollars to parts beyond almost two decades ago, that Willis Insurance Group seeks only to revitalize and re-brand the tower, that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

For me, it would be preferable if we had a name fitting of the city – a name that didn’t rely on a tenant or a corporate brand. Perhaps the building should be named instead for an equally towering figure in modern and Chicago architecture. Were it up to me, I would name it the Louis Sullivan Tower and be done with corporate naming rights forever – but that’s just me. Thoughts?

This image was taken from the roof of a parking garage in three sections with a 50mm lens.

Photo by Justin Kern – Feel free to use images with links and credit – no commercial use without permission.