The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was leave at Willis Tower. This discussion is contentious with fairly valid arguments made on both sides - there is a good point that a fair proportion of media sources do still seem to call this the Sears Tower. That said, there's also strong argument that usage of Willis Tower is widespread and increasing, and that it's clearly the "correct" name officially - the argument therefore comes down to an entirely subjective interpretation of what the "common name" is. Given that a clear majority here seem to think that Willis Tower is sufficiently widespread to constitute a common name, and that that usage is only likely to increase with time, I am confident that the article's current placement is most appropriate given the consensus present in this discussion. ~ mazca ^talk 17:50, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

---

Willis Tower → Sears Tower — WP:COMMONNAMES is emphatically clear: "Title an article using the most common English language name of a person or thing that is the subject of the article." It is also emphatically clear that the majority of people and the majority of published, reliable sources call this the Sears Tower. Since the "renaming" last week, news stories have been published in the major media referring to the tower as if no rename had taken place (including the San Francisco Chronicle, the British architecture magazine Building, and the Chicago Tribune. A google search, google book search, google news search, or google scholar search turns up significantly more coverage for the Sears Tower than the Willis Tower (even a GNEWS search for stories only in the last week or day). News sources from the BBC to the Dallas Morning News state unequivocally that no one will be using this "new" name. In short, articles must be named by the common name and the Sears Tower is the common name. Opponents of the move will state that people are going to start calling it the Willis tower. This is pure crystal ballery. If in a year, the reliable sources and common usage refer to this as the Willis Tower, a move to Willis Tower would be appropriate at that time. Empire NJ (talk) 17:00, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

It was SIX DAYS AGO. Show me a source that isn't speculation or for whom the news has arrived but they are not using it yet. Naturally, the Chicago papers are going to be more on top of the story than outlying papers. Find a reliable poll as to what people are "commonly" calling it, rather than newspaper editorial speculation, which is meaningless here. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:06, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

If they were to actually conduct such a poll, I think you'd be surprised at the number of Chicagoans who (1) hadn't heard about it; and/or (2) couldn't care less about it. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

What makes you think that the San Francisco Chronicle is several days behind the rest of the world? Show me one source that shows people calling the Willis Tower. Every travel guide in the world calls it the Sears Tower. Multiple full-length books calling it the Sears Tower have been published [7] [8] [9]. You seem to think that just because they changed what's painted on the front this has all changed. It hasn't. Not one reliable source shows any significant group of people calling this the Willis Tower. Empire NJ (talk) 17:15, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

ONLY SIX DAYS Web pages don't necessarily change overnight. I saw a quote from the mayor of Chicago saying he's just fine with the name change. He's people. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:26, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually, people refers to more than one person. Empire NJ (talk) 17:31, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

You've apparently never dealt with Mayor Daley. ;) Kevin Forsyth (talk) 14:20, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

RE: Printed travel guides and books, how many still showing pictures and details on tours of WTC were still on shelves six days after the attacks? That is an extremely misguided way to justify a change back to Sears. Sswonk (talk) 17:32, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support - Move was premature and overhasty. No evidence that "Willis Tower" is the common name, and the articles referenced by Empire NJ above do indicate that "Sears" is the common name, at least for now. A good precedent to use is 555 California Street - the article remained at its older name, "Bank of America Center", for over two years after it was officially renamed, but has since been moved to the official name after several sources were provided that indicated the older name was no longer the common name. Cheers, Rai•me 17:16, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose – Speaking of crystal ballery, what is relying on multiple sources that speculate using phases like "no one older than 39 will ever", "but everyone still called it the Sears Tower. And they won't stop now.", "the lips in Chicago are likely to keep saying “Sears Tower” for a long, long time.", "the CEO of Willis knows people will still call it the Sears Tower", "it could take decades for the new name of the Chicago skyscraper to take its place". All of these are guesses about the future, they can't be fact. To me, it's the same thing only less supported by guidelines to use the "Sears Tower" name because a lot of weasel worded comments from columnists, etc. think they know how the future ends up. Sswonk (talk) 17:23, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  Sears Tower may not be the common name for 10 years into the future; we don't know. But now, and only now, Google hits and articles from reliable sources both indicate that "Sears Tower" is the more common name. We don't need to make any guesses about the future; all that matters is the present, and in the present, "Sears Tower" is more common. Cheers, Rai•me 17:27, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  They may be wrong about whether or not the name will change in the future. The fact is that common usage has NOT changed, at least yet. Wikipedia should reflect whatever is presently supported by the reliable sources not what we think/hope will be supported by common usage and reliable sources in ten years, ten months, ten days, or ten hours. Empire NJ (talk) 17:31, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  Google hits are absolutely NOT considered reliable sources for this kind of information, and citations for what people are still calling it is pure speculation and is thus also not reliable sourcing. Its name has been changed, and that fact is reliably sourced. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:34, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  Again, how do Google hits count after only six days? Every mention of the building before the naming rights were announced by Willis, over 35 years of published material, is not going to mention Willis Tower. The rest will mention both names for a while, so Sears gets another "hit" to add to those 35 years worth. Not at all logically or mathematically relevant use of that method to establish a common name of something. Sswonk (talk) 17:40, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  A reader is hundreds of times more likely to come across the "Sears Tower" name in printed resources and the internet, so he/she is far more likely to recognize the Sears name over Willis. That is certainly a logical method to establish a common name. Rai•me 22:42, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose: The building has a new name; WP should reflect it. There's no danger of confusion, thanks to the redirect from Sears Tower and to the mention of "Sears Tower" in the article's lead. As for reliable sources that use the new name, here's the Associated Press, producer of a large proportion of U.S.-based news reports and publisher of the style guide used by most American newspapers, happily using Willis Tower as the building's primary name: [10]. PRRfan (talk) 17:38, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• That reference is just like all the others - the fact that "Sears" is still mentioned indicates that "Willis" is not the most common name. If "Willis" were the common name, then "Sears" wouldn't need to be present in the article. Cheers, Rai•me 17:42, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Nope, it's unlike the others in that it illustrates a clear change in usage by one of the primary style determiners in the media (read: reliable source) universe. Certainly, AP's use of "formerly known as Sears Tower" acknowledges that many readers will not yet know the new name; just as clearly, it shows that the tower will henceforth be called by it. PRRfan (talk) 17:57, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

It only illustrates a clear change in the official name, which isn't in dispute. You are interpreting it to mean that "Willis" is also the common name, but that is completely unsupported by the article. Cheers, Rai•me 18:02, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support. The name Sears Tower is iconic, and ubiquitous. It's like trying to rename the Brooklyn bridge, or Yankee Stadium. 199.125.109.58 (talk) 17:46, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

  Something that has never happened and likely never will. Speculation. Sswonk (talk) 17:48, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose - common name cannot trump accuracy. To call it "Sears Tower", however common, is now inaccurate. I would like to request the proponents of this move to indicate how it could be proven that "Willis" ever overtakes "Sears". Google results? Newspapers? A hunch? --Golbez (talk) 17:54, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Well, to start, when news sources stop saying "formerly known as the Sears Tower". I do believe that Willis will one day become the common name, but it isn't now. Cheers, Rai•me 18:05, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Which news sources? How many? How do you quantify it? Or does it really just come down to a hunch that it's time to move it? --Golbez (talk) 18:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• It comes down to building consensus, as every move does. If this article is moved back to Sears, and in one week, one month, or one year another editor wants to move it back to "Willis", then another move discussion can be started, news sources can be presented, and editors can build consensus on which name is more common. The keys are discussion and building consensus, which were both overlooked in the move to "Willis Tower". Cheers, Rai•me 18:13, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose - Wikipedia:Naming conventions (common names) is a guideline. Verifiability is a policy. The name of the tower has verifiably been changed. Some journalists speculating that people might not adjust to the name change is not verifiable proof of a common name. —Jeremy (talk) 19:07, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
• Point of order. It seems, reading above, that the initial move to Willis Tower was carried out without anything resembling a discussion or a consensus to move. Thus, procedurally it seems that this should be moved back to Sears Towers immediately. If people want to move to Willis Tower, then they face the responsibility to establish a consensus to do so. This should never have been here in the first place. Empire NJ (talk) 19:08, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
  • Per WP:BOLD there is no stipulation to seek permission before making changes to Wikipedia. —Jeremy (talk) 19:09, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Alrighty then, I would like to exercise the Revert portion of BRD. I tried before, but seem to have moved wrong. Will someone tell me how to move back to Sears Tower so as to complete part two of BRD? Thanks. Empire NJ (talk) 19:12, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Reverts don't happen a week after the fact. They happen immediately. I linked you to the move procedure; I strongly urge you not to do it. --Golbez (talk) 19:13, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
      • We are already in the Discuss portion of BRD. To move the article this early in a discussion about the move would be discourteous to those wishing to engage in the discussion and appear to be an attempt to railroad the discussion. —Jeremy (talk) 19:20, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
        • And just to let folks who weren't paying attention know, Empire NJ already did a copy-paste move to the old name about 25 minutes ago, claiming that after 2 hours of discussion, a clear consensus had emerged. I don't think I need to point out all the errors made there. --Golbez (talk) 19:24, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
  • As Jeremy said, you don't need consensus to make an initial/original edit or a move. Nor do you need it to revert. Repeating the process, though, does require consensus. If there was a challenge then it could have been made at the time; the move reverted, an RM opened. It was not. So this is the new base situation we deal with. There's clearly valid points on both sides which were apparently not expressed fully before the last move; that's what this is for. Also, to be frank, you have no grounding to speak on anything about procedures, having violated multiple ones in just the last 20 minutes. --Golbez (talk) 19:13, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Well I wasn't aware of the need to revert at the time. You're not really making much sense though. Why does the 6 days this has been named Willis Tower trump the YEARS that the article was at Sears Tower? Empire NJ (talk) 19:18, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
      • I have no further way of explaining it to you. If you move it, I will move it back. And then we can have our happy D part of the BRD cycle. Would that work? Or how about this: Skip the move war and just discuss the situation. Eight years, 6 days, surely we can wait more than two hours to discuss where it should be. --Golbez (talk) 19:20, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
        • I agree that we should discuss this further, but I do believe that while we do so, the article should be at Sears Tower. I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree and I'm not going to waste my time moving it if you'll just move it back. Perhaps this discussion will benefit from some more opinions as other people see the page. Empire NJ (talk) 19:27, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
          • I'm no philosophy expert, but I believe what you are saying there is an odd form of begging the question, that is you are assuming an outcome of an argument in it's premise. Or something like that. All I can say is making an RM and then making the move shortly thereafter to bolster your argument is not unlike a cop saying "I think we should arrest this guy", asking the DA if there is probable cause and then making the arrest without having a response from the DA. Why ask the DA in the first place, unless you really want to make him mad? Sswonk (talk) 19:54, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
            • Quite to the contrary, to work with your analogy. It's more like if a Cop knows a guy has done something wrong, but has not yet been convicted in court. You hold him in jail until the proceedings are over. What I'm saying is that given that this was moved without consensus, it should be moved back unless a consensus to move it is established. Empire NJ (talk) 20:20, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
              • Actually, it's more like the train has left the station. You might have chosen a different route earlier, but now we're all riding the Move Request Discussion Express -- next stop, consensus. PRRfan (talk) 20:37, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
• CALL IT THE SEARS TOWER. That's what it is. Save the Sears (talk) 19:32, 22 July 2009 (UTC) — Save the Sears (talk • contribs) has made few or no other edits outside this topic.
• Oppose move to Sears Tower. WP:COMMONNAMES was not written with this type of situation in mind, and I don't see it as applicable here. A local concert venue, the Oak Mountain Amphitheater, was renamed the Verizon Wireless Music Center a few years back. Local columnists and radio shows started petitions and on-air protests proclaiming that nobody would ever use the new name. Fast forward two years, and I have been corrected more than once when saying "I'm going to see XYZ at the Oak Mountain Amphitheater tonight". Names change, and there will always be those of us who continue to use the old name simply out of habit more than anything else, but that doesn't mean the new name isn't correct (or that it will not become common usage). This structure has been officially renamed, and our article's title should reflect that. --auburnpilot's sock 19:41, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
  • If I were able to amend my previous statement of opposition to the move with any single thought posted since, this statement by AuburnPilot would be it. There is an element of common sense that is missing in the strict interpretation of WP:COMMONNAMES used by the nom. That guideline is not meant to cover a recent change like this unless it were an obvious case of frivolity. It is primarily about things or people with multiple established names where one name has prevailed over time. Place name changes that are official, legal and not likely to be undone like this one are factual and given precedence over sentimental favorites. Sswonk (talk) 21:22, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose, I'm afraid. It's a real shame the tower's name has changed but it definitely has, so Wikipedia must change too. - Pointillist (talk) 20:16, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose. Willis got the naming rights as part of their lease and chose to name the building Willis Tower. End of story. Nothing prevents us as individuals from thinking of it and referring to it as Sears Tower, whether for sentimental reasons of out of force of habit, but that's no longer the correct name. One early version of the lede started with "Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, is...". That is a straightforward and correct way to inform readers about both names immediately. All the "popularly known as" claims belong in the body of the article. --CliffC (talk) 21:19, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
  • There is a substantial precedent for calling this by the common name, not the official name. The most obvious example is Burma. Although the country is technically the Union of Myanmar, it is known in the english-speaking world as Burma and so we use that name. So far as buildings go, there is also ample precedent. For example, the article. 40 Wall Street. Officially, this is the Trump Building, but historically and in common usage, it is known as 40 Wall Street, thus we use that name. Empire NJ (talk) 22:23, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Poor choice; the address is always a valid moniker, in that case both Trump Building and 40 Wall St are valid, accurate names. --Golbez (talk) 22:37, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Another tower. We have an article named John Hancock Tower when in fact the official name is Hancock Place. So, in other words, yes WP:COMMONNAME applies to buildings.Empire NJ (talk) 22:25, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Perhaps that article should be moved then, though at least "John Hancock Tower" is still using the same nomenclature as the official name, what with the "Hancock" at all. It's not quite as different as Sears vs Willis. --Golbez (talk) 22:37, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
      • The Hancock Tower is another bad example. Disclaiming WP:OR in advance, I have lived in the Boston area for over 15 years and this is the first time I can recall having heard the name Hancock Place, maybe once or twice before I'm not sure. Learn something new... The company that owned it defaulted in March, but it is still listed in their portfolio here (other assets changed hands today, [11] so that page may disappear soon) as the John Hancock Tower. So, there may be a reason to move the article whenever a new owner decides on a name, but none now. However, with Willis Tower the name change is a highly public one. The mayor of Chicago is famously in support of it. And, the company with the right to call it what it wants calls it Willis Tower. Sswonk (talk) 23:31, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
    • I don't think there was ever any real consensus to move Myanmar to Burma. That debate went to the mediation cabal, and people are still arguing about it. I'd personally prefer Myanmar, since I'm pretty sure all the atlases and almanacs I've ever owned have listed the country that way, or as Myanmar (Burma). But I digress... Zagalejo^^^ 02:54, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
• (outdent) Very partial list of other towers/significant buildings that we don't use the official name of. You can help by expanding it.
  • Oriental Pearl Tower - the Chinese name literally translates as Oriental Pearl TV Tower but in both China and the english-speaking world the word TV is generally omitted, so we left it out of the title.
  • Kuala Lumpur Tower - the official name is "Menara Kuala Lumpur" but we go with the common usage (Menara is the name of the company that owns the tower)
  • West Pearl Tower - officially 四川广播电视塔, the "Sichuan TV Tower", a name not even mentioned in the article.
• There are, I am sure, many more, but this is what I have found so far. None of these, of course, are exact parallels, but the Kuala Lumpur Tower is pretty close. The general public has rejected the corporate naming as "Menara Kuala Lumpur" and we have named the article accordingly with the common name. Empire NJ (talk) 01:26, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support Sears Tower is by far the more common name and was used for almost 40+ years, WP:COMMONNAME supports Sears Tower. End of Story. Eventually it could possible be more known as Willis Tower, but no sane person could say it's better known now as that. This isn't like an arena that gets its name changed every few years, the building became an icon under the name Sears Tower while I would bet most people outside of the Chicago area aren't even aware that its name has changed. TJ Spyke 21:35, 22 July 2009 (UTC)
• Support REVERT back to Sears Tower. Per WP:COMMONNAME. If and when the tower is more commonly referred to as something else, that's when this article should be moved, and not before then. --Born2cycle (talk) 23:10, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support Per WP:COMMONNAME —Preceding unsigned comment added by TonyTheTiger (talk • contribs) 00:14, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Should we also move Cloud Gate to The Bean? (I'm not trying to be snotty; I'm genuinely curious how you and others interpret WP:COMMONNAME.) Zagalejo^^^ 02:41, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Absolutely, we should move Cloud Gate to the Bean. I've lived in Chicago for years, and while I was vaguely conscious that "the bean" wasn't the official name, I would have had no idea what someone was talking about if they said "Where is Cloud Gate?". It's the Bean, end of story, just like it's Jimmy Carter not James Earl Carter, Jr. Empire NJ (talk) 15:35, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• You continue to pick horrible examples to defend your position. Not only is that nickname very similar to the actual name, but it's a nickname for a person. Jimmy <->James is extremely commonplace, middle names are often dropped, as are suffixes. Furthermore, he chose/endorsed that nickname! As for Cloud Gate vs The Bean, it seems a little insulting to the creator/owner/resident of something to tell them that their name for their item isn't the real one. The artist created Cloud Gate; that the people are ignorant of that is no excuse for us to be ignorant of it. --Golbez (talk) 15:49, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• To quote Ann Tickner, "You just don't understand." What we call something should have absolutely nothing to do with what its owner/naming rights owner/artist wants to call it. It's about what the public calls it. That's why we have an article named Whistler's Mother, not "Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother" because that's what people call it. That's why we have an article on Burma not the Union of Myanmar. What James Whistler or the ruling junta of Burma wants is utterly irrelevant. We don't have an article on Jimmy Carter because that's what he wanted people to call him; it's because that's what people did call him. Empire NJ (talk) 16:04, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Fair enough on the Whistler's Mother bit; you finally found a good example. I wouldn't propose moving that article away from Whistler's Mother. However, that is something 140 years old; the public consciousness literally knows it as nothing else. To rename it would be to confuse every viewer of the site. This, however? This obviously is a notable change that people know about. If Chicagalinos are or choose to be ignorant of it, that's not our problem. As for Burma, that's not why the article is there, but the Myanmar/Burma issue is an entirely different discussion. (East Timor would be a better example. But what about Ivory Coast?) Finally, we're dealing with a name change here. Whistler's Mother wasn't a new name or an old name or any name; it was simply the name the public knows it by. If this building never had a name - was simply '233 S Wacker' - for the last 35 years, and then Sears moved in and declared, "We're renaming it the Sears Tower!" - I would support moving it to the new name, rather than keep it at the old name, because that was less a name and more an identifier. Am I being pedantic? Maybe. But my position remains - *I* can see the difference but it's perhaps hard for me to communicate what that difference is. I could say, "The public consciousness created the name out of thin air" for Whistler's Mother, but then you could use that againse me in the case of The Bean... but it doesn't work for the Sears Tower. The public didn't invent that name. They'll get over it. As for Jimmy Carter, that's also what he called himself. That has nothing to do with the public or nicknames or anything. He filed to run for office under that name. --Golbez (talk) 16:53, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose. People adapt to name changes surprisingly quickly. Peking or Bombay anyone? Aubergine (talk) 00:34, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
  • That's just your assumption. At the moment, people are clearly calling it the Sears Tower. In a year, if they call it Willis Tower rename it then. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Empire NJ (talk • contribs) 16:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose I agree with Golbez. Sears Tower simply is not accurate anymore. Zagalejo^^^ 02:37, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
  • In what sense is it not "accurate"? It's the most commonly recognized name just like Whistler's Mother. Surely, the "official" name should be mentioned but it shouldn't be the article title. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Empire NJ (talk • contribs) 16:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
    • "Sears Tower" has no official standing anymore. The people who own the building's naming rights call it Willis Tower. The only reasons for anyone to continue calling it Sears Tower are force of habit, ignorance, or sentimentality. Whistler's Mother is a special situation, since people have been calling it that for over a hundred years, despite knowledge of Whistler's own title for it. If, in 100 years, people are still calling Willis Tower "Sears Tower", then maybe we should start considering a name change. But who knows what the future will bring. Zagalejo^^^ 19:08, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose per Zagalejo. Aubergine also brings up a very good point... At some point in time, the name "Willis Tower" will become more commonly used. Why don't we speed up that process? --timsdad ^(talk) 06:48, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
  • "Let's speed up that process" violates the very core of Wikipedia. We are supposed to only provide information published in reliable sources; reflect the world, not change it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Empire NJ (talk • contribs) 16:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose reverting to Sears Tower. As far as guidelines go, WP:COMMONNAME is not specific, but WP:Naming conflict#How to make a choice among controversial names is: "Is it the official current name of the subject?" (emphasis added) In fact, WP:COMMONNAME appears to defer to this guideline when it says, "Except where other accepted Wikipedia naming conventions give a different indication". Regarding the examples of common-name usage cited by Empire NJ, such as Oriental Pearl Tower, Kuala Lumpur Tower, and Menara Kuala Lumpur, that editor makes a stronger case for changing the names of those articles than for reverting this one.

Many — including myself — consider this to be an asinine, money-grubbing decision by building management to change the name of an icon; but change it they have, and it's not our place as Wikipedians to argue against that change. That said, I'll call it Sears Tower until the day I die, just as I do with the Standard Oil Building — but I won't feign confusion if a tourist asks me how to get to Willis Tower or the Aon Center. Kevin Forsyth (talk) 14:18, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Well the policy you cite above refers specifically to naming article to avoid POV; there isn't really an NPOV problem here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Empire NJ (talk • contribs) 16:11, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• I disagree. Nothing personal, but the passion with which some people are resisting this change strikes me as very POV. Kevin Forsyth (talk)

Comment: The statements by Forsyth and auburnpilot, and my second of auburn, clearly state the primary flaw in this nomination, which is the claim that a move from Willis Tower to Sears Tower is supported by a guideline phrase where "WP:COMMONNAMES is emphatically clear" about this issue. Pulling a single sentence from the lead when that sentence has paragraphs of explanation following which cover multiple scenarios can be misleading, which I think has been the result here. In continuing to staunchly support the move, the nominator has also used arguments which have been repeatedly and effectively rebutted. This discussion is about a move, but parallels to a deletion discussion can be drawn when one looks at the noms arguments and sees similar arguments listed as arguments to avoid in deletion discussions, including reliance on Google hits to determine what title to use, and comparing this article's title to those of other articles in an illogical way which is akin to the What about X? line of reasoning that is discouraged as well. Please don't immediately shoot back at me saying "This is a move, not a deletion!". I know that, but for the sake of brevity and lacking a similar ATA essay for moves, I am pointing to a place where refutations of these two rationales have been established for some time and are relevant here, in spite of the fact that those refutations are currently applied to a different discussion forum. Sswonk (talk) 16:51, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Example - in my previous hometown of Charlotte, there was a building named 1 First Union Center. Tallest in the city for 4 years, 2nd tallest for 15. And 2 First Union, and 3 First Union. (4 First Union was supposed to be a supertall but I digress) There was also a building in Charlotte named Wachovia Center. One day, First Union bought Wachovia and took its name. What to do with the buildings downtown? The First Union complex - all of which was taller than Wachovia Center - was renamed Wachovia. 1 Wachovia Center, 2 Wachovia Center, 3 Wachovia Center. The old Wachovia Center simply reverted to its street address, 400 South Tryon. So far as I know, not one person in Charlotte clinged to the old name of 1 First Union. The ownership changed, the name changed, and we moved on. Is the Sears Tower more special than these? Of course. But it's not immune. This is the tallest building ever to be renamed; the next tallest was, well, its friend a few blocks away: Aon Center née the Amoco Building née the Standard Oil Building. Last I checked, while some people were stubborn (I personally prefer to call it Amoco), the change was made and accepted, and no one has ever questioned - so far as I can tell - where the Wikipedia article belongs. That's a good example to follow, I think. --Golbez (talk) 17:04, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Please Note. While those requesting a move have engaged in forum shopping and the like, the point of order raised above is valid. The page should not have been moved in the first place without a consensus, as those moving it should have known quite well that doing so would be controversial. It is technically more or less impossible for those without administrator tools to carry out the R of BRD, so I have moved the page back. I do not mean for this to prejudice the discussion of the final name in one way or another, but it did seem appropriate for this to remain at Sears Tower until the discussion runs its course. I also urge all editors, particularly Empire NJ, to refrain from edit warring within the article itself, as this seems to have been occurring. Cool3 (talk) 19:24, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Why do you say the move couldn't be reverted? So far as I know, Sears Tower only existed as a redirect, which can be moved on to. That kind of obviates your entire argument here. I won't move it back - move wars are the worst we can have - but your premise seems seriously damaged. Also, what discussion? This RM is now obsolete. A new RM needs to be opened now, the previous discussion goes out the window. --Golbez (talk) 19:38, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• There were multiple lines in the page history; an ordinary user can only move over a redirect with a one line page history. Thus, it did require administrator tools to move. Cool3 (talk) 19:43, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Well, yes, there were; made a week after the fact. If someone wished to revert it within the week before Empire NJ performed his copy-paste move, they were able to. But I misunderstood you; I thought you were saying that right after the move, it needed an admin to move it back. --Golbez (talk) 20:10, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• I also will not move war with you. But if any move was out of process it was the move you just made, which has completely thrown the above discussion off the rails. The person who originally moved it from Sears to Willis did so entirely within Wikipedia's policies; no prior discussion was required. Your reversion of this move has no basis in any policy--BRD is an essay, and even it states "Do not accept "Policy" , "consensus", or "procedure" as valid reasons for a revert" —Jeremy (talk) 19:55, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Please Note that nearly every project outside the English Wikipedia has accepted Willis Tower as the proper title. Sswonk (talk) 19:41, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

  True, but most of those moves were initiated by a single user (Aubergine), so it doesn't really reflect any international-opinions that we can apply here. -- Quiddity (talk) 20:21, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

  I think that the moves at the 25+ other projects have gone unchallenged and that articles have been edited since then at these other projects does, at least, suggest that the move is non-controversial outside English Wikipedia. Really, whether Aubergine did many of the moves or not, the key words in my statement are "accepted Willis Tower as the proper title", and to embellish those words, without batting an eye. It would be nice if we could do the same. So, not applying international opinions, just making note of the fact that the rest of the world has moved on. Sswonk (talk) 23:30, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Note - I have moved this back to Willis Tower following a notice posted at WP:AN/I. This is not to be interpreted as some kind of "administrative endorsement" of this title but was done so to prevent disruption to the ongoing move request. It should remain at this title until the close of this discussion. Thank you, Shereth 20:12, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Comment: Some notes/links I found whilst perusing these discussions: Naming rights (no mention of this there, yet), Lancaster Park (interesting tactic in lede sentence), Seahawks Stadium#Stadium contracts (note that's a redirect, the page is actually located at Qwest Field). Also, try searching Wikipedia for stadium rename or building rename for many more examples to argue over ;) -- Quiddity (talk) 20:21, 23 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose per WP:COMMONNAME. Most of the articles I find in Google News that came after the renaming call it the Willis Tower and mention that it used to be called the Sears Tower. This Chicago Tribune article calls it the Willis Tower without even bothering to mention that it was the Sears Tower (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-highest-pizza-delivery-jul23,0,7580771.story). No one can seriously believe news sources are going to keep calling it the Sears Tower even though that is no longer its name; that's just wishful thinking by people who don't like the change. Rnb (talk) 22:44, 23 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose per are you out of your freaking minds? in the last week, 1786 hits on Google News for Willis Tower. Now tell me that reliable sources are not calling it that. Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 01:21, 24 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose for now, wait until we can get some perspective on whether the "Sears" name will hold strong in about a year or so. Then we can have this discussion. It's only been a few days, people. — ^{\`</sup>CRAZY`(lN)`SANE<sup>`/} (talk • contribs) 01:30, 24 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support Pretty obviously Sears Tower is the common name, it is pure crystall ballery to suggest Willis Tower will become the common name so change it now, and there are a million and one examples where we do not slavishly name things after their official name regardless. Hell, we don't even do it for some living people. MickMacNee (talk) 03:19, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
  • After Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali, a lot of people resisted calling him by his new name. Howard Cosell was an early adapter, and eventually his new chosen name became used universally. The crystal ballery is the assumption that people will continue to call it Sears Tower, when in fact there is no source given that can demonstrate that. It's pure sentimentalism, and trying to abuse wikipedia to "protest" the name change. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 03:23, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
    • I don't need a source to back up my statement that 'it will become known as the Willis Tower in the future so rename it now' is predicting the future, something we do not do. Its the common name right now. Whether it will be the common name in the future, is a matter for the future. Who knows, maybe the financial crisis will see Willis Group go under or be taken over within 15 years, you just don't know. It took a couple of years at least before anyone accepted nonsense like Snickers, if we have to start plucking comparisons out of thin air. MickMacNee (talk) 03:40, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Find a valid source that demonstrates that "Sears Tower" is its current name. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 04:07, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
        • If you tell me where I said it wasn't. MickMacNee (talk) 14:57, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
• Support The landmark of Chicago has been known "Sears Tower" for a long time. Think about the case of Burma and Myanmar.--Caspian blue 08:50, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
  • That is a bogus comparison. The Willis company purchased the naming rights through legal means, not through a military coup. And why should Sears continue to get free advertising, when they abandoned the place? This is all about sentimentalism. There is no reliable source backing the idea of keeping it at Sears Tower. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 13:44, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
  • Don't be rude, Baseball Bugs. Just because I don't agree with your crusade for changing the established recognition on the old name, that does not mean you can be freely away from WP:CIVILITY. How do you know that I have "sentimentalism" toward the place? More over, you said No reliable source backing the idea? Did you forget already what you said above? You said "Google hits" are meaningless at this point because you are exactly aware of the fact that the new naming is not widely known to the public and not established. You are indeed the one who resorts to "bogus" arguments. I did not mention the military coup of the state at all. Not every states in the world do not follow the political stance of the U.S. The naming is also a matter of "recognition".--Caspian blue 14:46, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
    • Trying to keep a no-longer-valid name is an abuse of wikipedia guidelines. That "common names" guideline is for when the name is unclear. An example would be the plane landing in the Hudson river in January. The media called it the Miracle on the Hudson, but there were objections to it on the grounds that it was "not a true miracle", whatever that means. I think a bland, factual title was settled upon. But that's what the "common names" guideline is about. There is no such thing as the Sears Tower anymore, except in the minds of a few sentimentalists. Anytime something is renamed, it can take awhile for the new name to gain full circulation. The original editor who pushed for retaining the old name is trying to abuse wikipedia, to make this article into a "protest" against the new name. That is not wikipedia's place to do. The reliable sources call it Willis Tower, or "Big Willie", and that's what it is. There is no more Sears Tower. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:57, 24 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Regarding Google, there are hundreds of thousands of hits on "Willis Tower", so it's hardly unknown at this point. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:59, 24 July 2009 (UTC)

This is a list of the !votes in this requested move discussion provided as an arbitrary breakpoint. The participants are listed as preferring either Sears Tower or Willis Tower as the name of the article, not of the structure itself:

Sears Tower (supported) (9): Empire NJ (nominator) • Raime • 199.125.109.58 • Save the Sears • TJ Spyke • Born2cycle • TonyTheTiger • MickMacNee • Caspian blue

Willis Tower (opposed) (15): Baseball Bugs • Sswonk • PRRfan • Golbez • JeremyA • AuburnPiIot • Pointillist • CliffC • Aubergine • Zagalejo • Timsdad • Kevin Forsyth • Rnb • Who then was a gentleman? • CrazyInSane

To avoid controversies, rather than changing these results please address any requests to fix mistakes in them to me. This line is the end of the 48 hours polling results, additional entries go below. Sswonk (talk) 17:02, 24 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose moving back to "Sears Tower", the name of the tower has changed, to have it at the old name is potentially misleading. Now if someone types in Sears Tower thinking it is still the name they are immediately informed of the change - essential for understanding most of the article. Guest9999 (talk) 21:53, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support moving back to "Sears Tower". It's dumb that a couple of lawyers can rewrite history like this. It's the Sears freakin' tower. And it always will be, regardless if one tenant got naming writes and wants to call it the Willis tower for the next decade. The name hasn't changed for most people. Go ask anyone in Chicago what it's called. A hundred years from now, it will still be the g'damn Sears tower. This is an encyclopedia not a fuckin' court room. -71.194.135.16 (talk) 04:32, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support a move back to Sears Tower for now. When it is conclusively shown that Willis Tower is the common name, then move it. (This could take days, weeks, or months but Wikipedia is descriptive, not prescriptive. See Talk:Adam Jones (American football) for an example where usage changed at a different rate than the official name.) — AjaxSmack 04:59, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
  • In the Adam Jones re-naming, once the player and the media both referred to him by the same name, it was supported to move to that per WP:COMMONNAME. As I wrote above, just about every article I find in Google news written after the re-naming calls it the Willis Tower and mentions it used to be the Sears Tower (although a few don't mention its old name). What's the difference here? Rnb (talk) 14:29, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
    • There's no difference. It's an attempt by sentimentalists to abuse wikipedia to further a personal agenda. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 14:59, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Please don't accuse others of such malfeasance without substantial proof. It's rather rude. The original poster here had a fair point, and it's ridiculous for you to discount it so. Jwkpiano1 (talk) 15:51, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
        • Please don't abuse the "common names" rule to further a personal, sentimental agenda, and thereby aid in making wikipedia look stupid in the process. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 16:23, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
    • I'm not a sentimentalist (in this case, anyway). And, if you'll note, I opposed the Adam Jones move in June and supported in September because I felt that common usage had changed. In this case, I can't believe that common usage really changed in six days. Evidence presented here and in the article tends to support that. Maybe (or probably?) in six weeks or three months things will be different. But Wikipedia should not predict the future or engage in prescription. If User:Baseball Bugs's "sentimentalists" represent common usage, then there no reason to avoid a sentimentalist article title (sentimentality would be irrelevant since the conclusion is based on reason). Wikipedia is not about official names or corporate shilling. — AjaxSmack 16:36, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
      • • And how is retaining the no-longer-correct Sears name, not shilling for the Sears corporation, which abandoned the building 5 years ago? Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:03, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
      • How do you judge when common usage is changed? I did so via the Google news method, which seems to point to Willis Tower, but maybe there's a better way. Or do you think that it's not possible for it to change in six days and it therefore shouldn't be changed for x days at a minimum? Rnb (talk) 16:41, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
        • It's a red herring. "Common usage" is needed when there is more than one name for something. This building has only one name. Sears abandoned downtown Chicago six years ago. If the supporters want to name it back, maybe they should take up a collection and buy back the naming rights. One thing certain: The Sears corporation won't be pitching in. This is sentimentalism, and attempting to use wikipedia as a crusader to resist change. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 17:01, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
          • "Sears Tower" is a name for this building that is more recognized by the general public than "Willis Tower". Building owners and tenants are not the only ones who decide what a building is called. Rai•me 19:20, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support Move back to "Sears Tower." Sears Tower is the common name for this structure, and will remain so until such time as it has been replaced in the public consciousness by the name Willis Tower. This has not happened yet, so it's fairly ridiculous that it has been moved to Willis Tower, and it is especially ridiculous that the name "Sears Tower" is only mentioned a few times in the entire article, even though it's been named that for 99% of the time it has stood in Chicago. Jwkpiano1 (talk) 15:56, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
  • Baseless crystal ball, and making wikipedia look stupid by being behind the reality curve. Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots 16:35, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
    • How do you interpret this to be related to WP:CRYSTAL BALL? It isn't speculation to say that "Sears Tower" is the common name at present. The only "baseless crystal balling" is the speculation that Willis Tower will become the common name in the future, so change it now to expedite the process. Labeling those who disagree with your personal crusade to rid Wikipedia of the "Sears Tower" name as "sentimentalists" and "abusers of policy" is not helping your argument; please try to remain WP:CIVIL. I, for one, am not a sentimentalist, and would support this article being named "Willis Tower" if and when that name becomes the common name. Right now, it isn't. Rai•me 19:17, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
      • Again, given that the majority of articles I can find written after the re-naming call it the Willis Tower, I don't understand the claim that Sears Tower is still the common name or the name most people are referring to it as. What evidence are you using for that? Rnb (talk) 19:34, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
        • Official sources will usually use both names (the official name and the common name), so they aren't necessarily a good indicator of which name is more common (althigh, Empire NJ did list some official sources that used only the "Sears Tower" name above, and as I mentioned above, Emporis, often cited by the media as an authority on building data, also uses the "Sears" name). I believe Google hits are a good indicator of which name is more common - a reader is far more likely to come across the "Sears Tower" name in printed resources and the internet, so he/she is far more likely to recognize the Sears name. And we shouldn't forget about the Chicago Tribune article where Chicagoans being interviewed didn't even know what the Willis Tower is. Obviously we should reject speculation that "everyone will always call it the Sears Tower", but when a reliable source carries out an interview and publishes the findings in a reliable newspaper, it shouldn't be discounted. If many Chicagoans don't know what the "Willis Tower" is, how can we honestly expect international readers to have accepted the "Willis Tower" name in only a few days? Rai•me 19:50, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
          • I didn't find Empire NJ's list of articles to be particularly compelling given that the majority of them called it the Willis Tower while arguing that Chicagoans will still call it the Sears. Of the others, one was an op ed from someone who didn't like the switch and two were written very close to the switch, so could have just been mistakes. As far as Google hits, even if everyone on Earth started referring to it as Willis instead of Sears overnight, I suspect the hits for Sears would outnumber those for Willis for years just because of the headstart it had. Anyway, thanks for providing reasoning for your thoughts instead of the "that's what it's called because that's what it's called" argument that seems to be getting a lot of play here. Rnb (talk) 20:05, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
            • IMO, it is because of the nearly 40-year "headstart" that the Sears Tower name remains the most common. The building became internationally-recognized with that name, so it is fairly certain that the common name most recognized by readers worldwide did not change in 10 days. We can discount speculation articles that state "no one over age 39 will ever call it the Willis Tower" - I wasn't referring to the speculation articles Empire NJ listed above, only ones like that of the San Francisco Chronicle that were written after the name change but never mentioned the official name. It may because they just "weren't updated", but it may also be because target readers would have been unfamiliar with the name change. That being said, I am fairly certain most official sources will cite both names. But Google hits, IMO, are a good indicator. Cheers, Rai•me 20:44, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
              • Re: San Francisco Chronicle, reading the byline will show that it was written by Henry Fountain of the New York Times. Checking the original source[12] will show that it was first published on July 6, making it factually correct to call the building Sears Tower since the renaming had not yet occurred. Simply another poor example used by the nominator. Sswonk (talk) 20:59, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
                • Okay, so the Chronicle was a poor example - as I stated above, I would be very surprised if most official sources, and all of those outside of Chicago, where the name change was more publicized, use both names for quite a while. The Google hits still indicate that "Sears" is the common name. Cheers, Rai•me 21:08, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
                  • Barring an edit or two and the very unlikely event that the weak arguments for a move prevail here, this article's first six words will be "Willis Tower, formerly named Sears Tower" for "quite a while" as well. It is understood in the art of writing that concise explanations are needed in cases such as these. The "Google hits" argument has been soundly and roundly refuted above by several who oppose this move. Sswonk (talk) 22:01, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
                    • How has it been refuted? By editors arguing that Google hits are irrelevant after "only 10 days" but then using them to show that the name "Willis Tower" is gaining popularity? I think not. You may regard the oppose arguments as "weak", but I haven't seen any compelling evidence that Willis Tower has become the common name in 10 days. Rai•me 22:10, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
                      • There is the problem, Raime. The entire assumption made in the nomination is that WP:COMMONNAME correctly applied justifies a move back to Sears Tower. That is the inherent weakness that you are gamely attempting to shore up. The official name part of naming conflict guidance is satisfied, and the Associated Press among others has begun using the Willis Tower name with an explanation. I refuted "Google hits" without later relying on them in reverse, but ultimately my position is that the building is renamed; the company has a long term lease; the previous owner responsible for the building is several years removed; the mayor of Chicago is promoting the name change; and a redirect with a prominent four word explanation in the first sentence of the article satisfies the concerns of those who fear readers are going to be searching for "Sears Tower" for "quite a while" based on existence of a legacy of now outdated publications. Sswonk (talk) 22:31, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
                        • Obviously we interpret WP:COMMONNAME differently, and I suppose that is the root of this entire debate. My position is that per WP:COMMONNAME and its supplemental essay, WP:OFFICIALNAMES, the official name of an object should not always be the name of the article if another name is more widely recognized. I don't see a weakness in this logic; "Willis" is official, but that isn't enough to justify it being the article title. Google hits and interviews indicate that there has been no change in the common name as of yet. Whether or not there is a redirect from "Sears Tower" is not the point; the guideline clearly states "Generally, article naming should prefer what the greatest number of English speakers would most easily recognize". Given the tower's 40-year "legacy", it is all but certain that international readers have not come to "easily recognize" a new name after 10 days. Rai•me 22:44, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose. "Sears Tower" has been the most commonly-used name for the last 40 years, because it's been the actual name of the building. If the building were actually called something else and everyone had been referring to it as "Sears Tower", those arguing WP:COMMONNAME would have a point. The change of name is very recent - printed travel guides won't have caught up, and neither will the vast majority of the Web. WP:COMMONNAME is not an excuse for wilful inertia. 81.111.114.131 (talk) 22:53, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

That's an interesting angle no one has mentioned before. Thanks - Pointillist (talk) 23:08, 26 July 2009 (UTC)

I beg to differ, but I join you in thanking the participant for reiterating and adding strength to points made by some of us above. Sswonk (talk) 00:19, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

Well, I think the (implied) novel point was that this article has always used the tower's official name as it was/is at the time. All the best - Pointillist (talk) 00:50, 27 July 2009 (UTC)

• Support Sears Tower, per WP:COMMONNAMES. Dlabtot (talk) 22:09, 28 July 2009 (UTC)
• Oppose. Change is tough, but please get over it, the tower has a new name. This page can always be found through the Sears Tower redirect page... ...making this whole discussion another giant waste of time. Typical WP-Bikeshed. --Dschwen 22:46, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

• Polling update at 6 days plus 8+ hours I am just putting this in to make a final !vote easier to tabulate. Without listing names this time, there have been seven responses since the arbitrary break at 48 hours: Sears Tower (supported move)(4), Willis Tower (opposed move)(3), making the totals support 13 to 18 oppose. Sswonk (talk) 01:18, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

• Oppose the move too, per Baseball Bugs's rationale. -- Luk ^talk 11:36, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

I've move protected this article indefinitely to suppress further move-warring. Once consensus is formed, please ask an admin to unprotect it if necessary. –Juliancolton | ^Talk 16:12, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.