(Google Maps)
Update
The ‘McCain Senate Office Building’ is no more. A search on Google Maps reveals that the building has been changed back to the Russell Senate Office Building. Google told CNN the change had come from user suggestions.
“We empower people to contribute their local knowledge to the map, but we recognize that there may be occasional inaccuracies or premature changes suggested by users. When this happens, we work to address as quickly as possible,” Google told the outlet in a statement.
Original
Google Maps got a little ahead of itself Wednesday morning, renaming the Russell Senate Office Building at 2 Constitution Ave NE the “McCain Senate Office Building.” The building is still officially named after Georgia Democratic Senator Richard Brevard Russell.
Since Arizona Senator John McCain’s death over the weekend, senators have been discussing whether to change the name of the Russell Senate Office Building in his honor—Senators Charles Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, and Jeff Flake, the other senator from Arizona, have been working on a possible resolution. Some Republicans, though, have been resistant to the change.
“Senator Russell was a well-respected man from the South and up here too,” said Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, according to The Hill. Shelby added that Russell was “a man of his time.”
Russell was a segregationist who led a filibuster in the Senate that almost killed the Civil Rights Act. “I am willing to go as far and make as great a sacrifice to preserve and insure white supremacy in the social, economic, and political life of our state as any man who lives within her borders,” Russell once wrote.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell slowed the renaming efforts by announcing a bipartisan committee to look into memorial options. But that apparently didn’t deter Google Maps!
If you search for the “Russell Senate Building” in Google Maps, it still comes up with that name. But if you just search the map without typing anything in, you can see it’s named the ‘McCain Senate Office Building.’
According to Google, it’s possible for user to add or change places on the maps, but edits have to be approved first. It’s not clear how the change was made or if it was purposeful on the part of Google.
This post has been updated.
Natalie Delgadillo