Downtown Wichita building changes name in honor of Taylor Swift this weekend

As the Chiefs prepare to play the Baltimore Ravens this weekend, Tim Farha decided it’s not a great time to own or promote anything named Baltimore in Wichita, where a large number of people root for the Chiefs.

Farha is an owner in the Baltimore, formerly known as Occidental Plaza, at 300 N. Main St. in downtown Wichita.

His Point Guard Management also handles leasing there.

“After that nice win on Sunday evening, it just popped into my head,” Farha said of briefly changing the Baltimore’s name. “I didn’t like that we managed something called the Baltimore.”

He brainstormed for a bit. One new name possibility was MaHOMES, after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. That conveniently emphasized the residential portion of the Baltimore.

The owners of the Baltimore in downtown Wichita are changing its name to The Swift this weekend as the Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens. File photo
However, in the end, Farha decided to go with The Swift, named after singer Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“It’s a little bit more catchy,” Farha said.

That was the same reason his group renamed Occidental Plaza the Baltimore, which the building had once been called.

Farha called it a “more marketable name.”

Point Guard Management has put out The Swift name change to a lot of laughter on social media.

Though the announcement said the name change is through Sunday only, Farha said if the Chiefs win, he may have to keep The Swift through the Super Bowl.

“That’s a high possibility.”

This story was originally published January 25, 2024, 12:28 PM.