Quick Facts
Biography
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. 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.
Career
He started working as a courier from Wilmington 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.
He was a large landowner in Los Angeles. In 1903, he hired architect Alfred Rosenheim to design the Hellman Building named in his honor. The eight-story building in Downtown Los Angeles still stands today, on the corner of Fourth Street (Los Angeles, California) and Spring Street (Los Angeles, California).
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:
- 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.
