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A Sad Day For Chicago: Sears Tower Officially Renamed

It's official: there is no more Sears Tower in Chicago. Today the naming right to the building, an icon of the Chicago skyline since its construction in the 1970s, switched over the British firm Willis, who bought the rights along with office space in the tower.

Now called the Willis Tower, the skyscraper at least has a buzzworthy addition that somewhat distracts from the name-change: the new glass ledge viewing balconies on the 103rd floor's Skydeck. But is waiting in a line just so that you can stand for a minute above the entire city enough to appease a community that holds the originial Sears Tower so dearly in their hearts? We said it once, and we'll say it again: if Chicago can get over Comiskey Park becoming US Cellular Field, home of the White Sox, then with time they will surmount even this.

Nonetheless, after the official announcement went out today, Twitter's hot trending topics lit up with mentions of the new Willis Tower name, and none of them too positive. Except for @abearatemyparen it seems, who says: "Willis Group? London based insurance company? No, I'ma pretend that's Bruce Willis' tower now." Or we could all just use this as an opportunity to constantly quote Gary Coleman from Diff'rent Strokes: "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?"

Related Stories:
· London Firm Renames Chicago, Pisses Off Chicago [Jaunted]
· Look Down: Sears Tower Jumps On Glass Floor Bandwagon [Jaunted]
· What you talkin' bout, Willis? Sears Tower renamed [AP]
· Sears Tower Name Change Becomes Official [Chicagoist]