Westwood Homestead Savings Bank, 3002 Harrison Ave., is spending more than $1.3 million in remodeling and additions that will double the size of the bank by September.
The institution, which predates Westwood's annexation to Cincinnati near the end of the last century, is growing and cementing its commitment to its hometown with the expansion.
A larger parking area and drive-through window were finished in March. A new facade and roof design will top off the expansion, and a glass-enclosed atrium will feature a waterfall.
Westwood Homestead debuted as a savings and loan in 1883. The bank moved to its current location in 1921 and is a neighborhood fixture near the corner of Harrison and Montana, near the old Westwood Town Hall (now used as a neighborhood center) and Westwood Elementary School.
Apartments have replaced some of the grand homes in the area, and other businesses have come and gone. But Westwood Homestead believes it's the place to be. "You can't run away from change. You have to be a part of it," bank President Michael P. Brennan said.
"I think it's a great thing for Westwood when any of the businesses expand, instead of moving to a mall or Green Township," said Ray Finke, president of the Westwood Civic Association.
In the early 1990s, consultants advised the Homestead bank to branch out to the west, Mr. Brennan said. The bank went in the opposite direction. Its only other branch was built in the mid-1990s in Mount Adams.
Homestead works to keep the personal touch.
Each week of the school year, bank employees cross the street to Westwood Elementary and handle savings account transactions for students. Students can open an account with as little as 50 cents.
"I bank there. They're smart people," said Tim Donovan, who owns a travel agency on Glenmore Avenue."They have to have great confidence in the area, or they wouldn't have put the money into it."
"We're just glad they're staying," said Mr. Finke.
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