Chicago’s John Hancock Building Is Losing Its Name

The familiar Chicago landmark we all knew as the John Hancock building is losing its name.

Sadly, it's going the route of the Sears Tower, or what's now called the Willis Tower.

Bye bye Big John - It's a sad day, The John Hancock Center is losing its name. John Hancock Insurance co has requested that it's name be removed from the building. From now on it will be know as just 875 N Michigan Ave. The company that owns the Hancock Center is currently searching for a new name. #city_in_a_garden. 🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹 The John Hancock Center was built by John Hancock Insurance in 1970, it was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with chief designer Bruce Graham and structural engineer Fazlur Khan.

A post shared by graeme (@city_in_a_garden) on Feb 13, 2018 at 6:51am PST

WGN reports that the "100-story skyscraper will now be known by its address, 875 N. Michigan Avenue until the owners seek a new naming-rights deal."

Apparently the buidling's namesake, John Hancock Insurance, has asked that "name and logos be removed throughout the building immediately." 

Although the the former insurance company was responsible for building the tower, they haven't been a tenant in the building for several years.

In fact, the "Chicago-based Hearn is part of a group of real estate investors that has owned the office and parking portions of the building since 2013."

Also, the Chicago Tribune reports that "John Hancock hasn’t paid for the right to have its name on the building since the last naming-rights contract expired shortly after the current owners bought it."

Well i guess it makes sense then to strip the name and logos of John Hancock from the building, but now it's gonna be weird all over again.

Just like the Sears Tower is now the Willis Tower, but it's hard to break yourself from saying the new name.

The John Hancock building will be known by some other name. How soon that will happen isn't known at this time.

For the time being the Hancock building, will be known as 875 N. Michigan Ave. OK that's a mouthful and kind of weird to say.

Maybe, they could just make a symbol and say the building formerly known as John Hancock.