Guaranth Bank

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Guaranty National Bank built its new building on 5th Avenue in 1954, it took
 pride in the fact the building was designed so it could be expanded in future years.
 In 1959, an adjacent house (shown in this photo) was acquired and razed to make
 way for additional drive-in windows and a larger parking lot. In the late 1980s,
 a $2 million expansion more than doubled the size of the existing building.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HUNTINGTON — Huntington businessman D. Sterling Diddle (1896-1980) was chairman
of the board and founder of both the Guaranty National Bank
 of Huntington and Huntington Steel and Supply Co.

He and his father, James A. Diddle, founded Huntington Boiler and Supply
in 1904. The name was later changed to Huntington Steel and Supply.
He founded the Guaranty Bank and Trust Co. in 1939. The bank
became the Guaranty National Bank in 1954.

That same year saw the bank move from its original quarters in the
 Chafin Building at 517 9th St. to a new location just around
 the corner, in a new building erected at 919 5th Ave.

Guaranty took pride in the fact its new building was
designed so it could be expanded in future years.

In 1959, an adjacent house was acquired and razed to make way for
 additional drive-in windows and a larger parking lot. In 1978,
the bank dedicated a $2 million expansion, which more
 than doubled the size of the existing building.

When Guaranty first opened its doors in 1939 it had assets of $500,000.
By 1978, its assets had grown to $100 million. By 1988, when its
assets had grown to $140 million, Guaranty merged with the
 Charleston-based National Banc of Commerce, one of the
 state's largest bank holding companies. In 1991, the
 bank changed its name to Commerce Bank.

Commerce Bank became Huntington Banks when it was purchased
 by Huntington Bancshares in 1993. Huntington Banks was not
 named for the city of Huntington and did not originate here.

It opened in 1866 in Columbus, Ohio, as W. Huntington &
Company. In 1905, it was incorporated as the
 Huntington National Bank of Columbus.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on April 1, 2019.

-----------------------------------------------------------

[ Back ]