Herman W. Hellman (September 25, 1843 – October 19, 1906) was an American businessman, banker, and real estate investor.

Early life

Herman W. Hellman was born on September 25, 1843, in Reckendorf, Bavaria.Jewish Museum of the American West: Herman W. Hellman
/ref> He emigrated to the United States with his brother Isaias W. Hellman, arriving in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on May 14, 1859, as a sixteen-year-old.Sam Watters (December 26, 2009
"Hellman buildings were inspired by national spirit,"
''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

Career

He started working as a courier from

Wilmington, California Wilmington is a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, covering . Featuring a heavy concentration of industry and the third-largest oil field in the continental United States, this neighborhood has a high p ...

, to Los Angeles for

Phineas Banning Phineas Banning (August 19, 1830 – March 8, 1885) was an American businessperson, businessman, financier and entrepreneur. Known as "The Father of the Port of Los Angeles," he was one of the founders of the town of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Ca ...

. In 1861, he worked for his uncle, Samuel Hellman, who had a store in Los Angeles. Shortly after, he opened his own store at Downey Block. He established a wholesale grocer called Hellman, Haas & Co. with Jacob Haas, the brother of

Abraham Haas Abraham Haas (1847 – August 8, 1921) was an American businessman, co-founder of Hellman, Haas & Co. (later Haas, Baruch & Co., which ultimately merged with Smart & Final), and patriarch of the Haas family, the primary shareholders of Levi Str ...

. They sold groceries in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. As his business prospered, he became one of the wealthiest men in Los Angeles by the 1880s. The company later became known as Baruch, Haas, & Co. In 1890, he became vice president and general manager of The

Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles Farmers and Merchants Bank (F&M) was a lending institution (1871−1952) based in Downtown Los Angeles, California. It is recognized both for its architecture and its pivotal role in the economic development of early Los Angeles. Other, non-relat ...

, a bank established by his brother. He was later demoted by his brother, who found his lending practises too lenient. He resigned in 1903, and became the president of the Merchants National Bank instead. He also became a co-founder of the

Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is Southern California's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing the interests of more than 235,000 businesses in L.A. County, more than 1,400 member companies and more than 722,430 emplo ...

Hellman Buildings

Hellman was a large landowner in Los Angeles. He had many buildings constructed bearing his name over the years: had built buildings also known as "Hellman Building" (also "H. W. Hellman Building" & "New Hellman Building"): *one mentioned in 1876 on Third Street between Main Street and Spring streets, where a musical boarding school was located *one built in 1882 on Main and Commercial streets "next to Litchenberger's", between Court and First streets *one at Third and Main streets in 1892 *another at the northeast corner of Second Street and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in 1897Hellman Building, Water and Power Associates
/ref> In 1903, he hired architect Alfred Rosenheim to design the

Hellman Building The Herman W. Hellman Building is a historic building in Downtown Los Angeles.Sam WattersHellman buildings were inspired by national spirit ''The Los Angeles Times'', December 26, 2009University of Southern California Digital LibraryHerman W. Hel ...

at Fourth and Spring streets. The eight-story building in

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

still stands today, converted to residential use. He served as president of the Congregation B'nai B'rith, later known as the

Wilshire Boulevard Temple The Wilshire Boulevard Temple, known from 1862 to 1933 as Congregation B'nai B'rith, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue at 3663 Wilshire Boulevard, in the Wilshire Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded ...

Personal life

He married his cousin Ida Heimann on July 26, 1874, while on a trip in Italy. They resided on South Hill Street in Los Angeles and owned a secondary home in

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

. They had five children: Clothilde, Frieda, Marco, Irving, and Amy.

Frances Dinkelspiel Frances L. Dinkelspiel (born 1959) is an American journalist, author and founder of the local news website '' Berkeleyside''. She is the author of ''Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California'' and ''Tangled Vi ...

(2008) ''Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California'', St. Martin's Press, New York

Death

Hellman died of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

on October 19, 1906, in Los Angeles. He was buried at the Home of Peace Cemetery in

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hellman, Herman W. American financial company founders American businesspeople in real estate 1843 births 1906 deaths American bank presidents American investment bankers American financial businesspeople Landowners from California Businesspeople from Los Angeles Deaths from diabetes in California Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles people Philanthropists from California American people of German-Jewish descent Emigrants from Bavaria to the United States People from Bamberg (district) 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 19th century in Los Angeles 20th century in Los Angeles 19th-century American philanthropists People from Reckendorf Hellman family