Huntington Bank Plans Move to Fountain Square

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

525 Vine Street

Huntington Bank is moving to downtown Cincinnati. The bank announced recently announced plans to relocate its regional headquarters from the Rookwood Tower in Norwood to 525 Vine Street in Fountain Square, where it will become the new name tenant.

The move is planned for mid-year 2015. Huntington signed a 13-year lease with renewal options for about 50,000 square feet of space in the 23-sory building, where it will occupy floors 14, 20 and 21. A permanent branch will open in the building in 2016.

Once the bank moves in, the building will be renamed Huntington Center at 525 Vine and the bank will be represented by signage at the top of the tower. In addition, Huntington will pursue opportunities for street-level signage.

The bank said it plans to move about 45 employees from its Rookwood office to the new location in 2016. Once the move is complete, Huntington expects to have more than 153 employees working in the downtown Cincinnati office.

“Huntington’s move to Fountain Square highlights our ongoing commitment to a strong presence in Cincinnati and the surrounding region, while supporting the continuing transformation of downtown,” Kevin Jones, Huntington’s Southern Ohio-Kentucky regional president, said in a statement. “We are excited to be a part of reenergizing the downtown workforce as we create new opportunities for our employees to maximize collaboration in a shared setting.”

Pittsburgh-based McKnight Realty Partners owns 525 Vine Street. The company purchased the 394,366-square-foot building in 2003. Other tenants at the property include AT&T, United States Post Office, and URS Corporation.

“I am pleased Huntington Bank has selected Cincinnati for its new regional headquarters,” Mayor John Cranley added. “Huntington is a well-known and well-liked brand in the Queen City, and I think it’s a perfect fit to grow in the heart of our downtown. We appreciate the company moving its jobs here and we look forward to having it increase its presence as a corporate citizen.”

Photo credit: McKnight Realty Partners