Herman W. Hellman

Herman W. Hellman (1843–1906) was a German-born businessman, banker, and real estate investor in Los Angeles, California.

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, California 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''

Career

He started working as a courier from Wilmington, California to Los Angeles for Phineas Banning. 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's called Hellman, Haas & Co. with Jacob Haas, the brother of Abraham Haas. 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, 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.

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 in 1897Hellman Building, Water and Power Associates
/ref>

In 1903, he hired architect Alfred Rosenheim to design the Hellman Building at Fourth and Spring streets. The eight-story building in Downtown Los Angeles 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.

Personal life

He married Ida Heimann (1851–1923) who was one of his cousins, 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. They had five children: Frances Dinkelspiel (2008) ''Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California'', St. Martin's Press, New York
*Clothilde Hellman (1875–1884)
*Frieda Hellman (1876–1944)
*Marco H. Hellman (1878–1948), a banker.
*Irving H. Hellman (1883–1975) a civil engineer.
*Amy Hellman (1888–1920)

Death

He died of a diabetes-induced coma on October 19, 1906, in Los Angeles, California. He was buried at the Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellman, Herman W.
American financial company founders
American real estate businesspeople
1843 births
1906 deaths
American bank presidents
American investment bankers
American financial businesspeople
Land owners from California
Businesspeople from Los Angeles
Deaths from diabetes
German emigrants to the United States
Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles people
Philanthropists from California
American people of German-Jewish descent
Bavarian emigrants to the United States
People from Bamberg (district)
People from Los Angeles
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