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 He emigrated to the United States with his brother Isaias W. Hellman, arriving in 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
Career He started working as a courier from Wilmington, California, to Los Angeles for Phineas Banning.George Ward Burton (1904) Men of Achievement in the Great Southwest, p.59, Los Angeles Times 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. 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 (also "H. W. Hellman Building" & "New Hellman Building"):Search for "Hellman Building" in Los Angeles, California newspapers, newspapers.com one mentioned in 1876 on Third Street between Main Street and Spring streets, where a musical boarding school was locatedUntitled news item, Los Angeles Express, October 6, 1876, p. 3 Main and Commercial streets "next to Litchenberger's", between Court and First streets, 1882Untitled article, Los Angeles Herald, March 18, 1882, p.3 Third and Main streets, 1892Untitled news item, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 1892, p.8 Northeast corner of Second Street and Broadway, 1897Hellman Building, Water and Power Associates
In 1903, he hired architect Alfred Rosenheim to design the Herman W. Hellman Building at Fourth and Spring streets. The eight-story building in downtown Los Angeles was later converted to residential use.
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. They had five children: Clothilde, Frieda, Marco, Irving, and Amy.Frances Dinkelspiel (2008) Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California, St. Martin's Press, New York
He served as president of the Congregation B'nai B'rith, later known as the Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
Death Hellman died of diabetes on October 19, 1906, in Los Angeles. He was buried at the Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles.
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