It acts as a link to a more glorious past (real or imagined) and leads people to attribute - justifiably or otherwise - to the possessor positive qualities the name might have once stood for.
This is a vital attribute of partnerships, because the owners of real estate, more so than other operating businesses, often want to split up and go their separate ways.
CommonWealth's share price has underperformed the market, a fact analysts attribute to an acquisition spree and to its unusual management structure for real-estate investment trusts.