I think there was a time when names were called proper nouns… you know, the kind of name that starts with a capital letter. When we were downtown yesterday, it occurred to me that “temporary nouns” might be a useful term for buidings and facilities that sell naming rights.
The notion popped up as we walked past the Sony Centre (formerly Hummingbird Centre and O’Keefe Centre before that). We had just left the SkyDome (named Rogers Centre at the moment), after having lunch at the former BCE Place, now called Brookfield Place. Hotels play the name change game with great frequency, too, as various chains swap real estate.