Huntington Bank Says It'll Reopen Buckeye Branch Slated for Closure

Buckeye residents successfully rallied to keep the Huntington Bank branch off East 118th from closing permanently. Then, on Wednesday, their ATM was stolen. Credit: Mark Oprea

Following a months-long grassroots campaign from residents, Huntington Bank yesterday announced that it will reopen the branch on Buckeye.

“We’re pleased to announce that our Buckeye branch will reopen by the end of October, and we’d like to thank all of our partners across the city for joining us in committing to the safety measures and ongoing partnership to make this possible,” a Huntington official said in Monday’s news release. “We’re excited to continue to serve the Buckeye community, as we have for the last 20 years, by reopening this branch. We look forward to continuing our investment in this historic neighborhood.”

The bank earlier this year shocked those who depend on the location when it said it would permanently close due to rising crime in the area. Pressure quickly mounted, leaving Huntington to pivot to a temporary closing notice while it evaluated the branch’s future.

That only further galvanized residents.

“I don’t think the bank ever been challenged, to be honest,” Charles Bromley, the director of the Shaker Square Alliance and the organizer of the Keep Huntington on Buckeye group, told Scene this summer. “They get to do whatever they want to. They have $184 billion in deposits. Well, they figured that you bring a check and everybody goes away. And that wasn’t really the case here.”

It worked, as the group lobbied the bank, worked with City Hall, City Council and Neighborhood Connection to make their voices heard, fearing a bank desert in a community where many residents lack access to a car and reliable internet access.

“This still a community where people have flip phones, and they don’t do online banking,” Tamara Chappell, 70, who lives close to Moreland Courts off Shaker Square, told Scene. “Buckeye is not a dot-com area. Mount Pleasant area is not a dot-com area. People here still go to the bank.”

Mayor Justin Bibb, in a statement, celebrated the decision: “This is a great example of how tough problems can be solved when City Hall, private businesses and the community work together. Every resident, regardless of where they live, deserves equitable access to resources like banks.”

Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, added: “The permanent closure of the Buckeye branch would have left families and small businesses with even fewer choices than before. I’m glad that Huntington listened to the voices of the community and will reopen the Buckeye-Shaker branch. This would not have happened without all the neighborhood residents, local leaders, and advocates coming together and working with the bank – and speaking up about the branch’s importance.”

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