He started working as a courier from Wilmington, California to Los Angeles for Phineas Banning.[2][5] In 1861, he worked for his uncle, Samuel Hellman, who had a store in Los Angeles.[2] Shortly after, he opened his own store at Downey Block.[2]
In 1890, he became vice president and general manager of The Farmers and Merchants Bank of Los Angeles, a bank established by his brother.[2][3][4] He was later demoted by his brother, who found his lending practises too lenient.[2] He resigned in 1903, and became the president of the Merchants National Bank instead.[2][3][4] He also became a co-founder of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.[2]
The Hellman Building in Downtown Los Angeles in 2008.
Hellman was a large landowner in Los Angeles.[2] 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"):[6]
one mentioned in 1876 on Third Street between Main Street and Spring streets, where a musical boarding school was located[7]
one built in 1882 on Main and Commercial streets "next to Litchenberger's", between Court and First streets[8]
He married Ida Heimann (1851–1923) who was one of his cousins, on July 26, 1874, while on a trip in Italy.[2] They resided on South Hill Street in Los Angeles and owned a secondary home in Alhambra.[2] They had five children:[11]
^"HELLMAN IS DEAD: Local Banker Dies Suddenly; Multi-Millionaire's Relatives at Bedside During His Last Moments; Attended to Vast Interests Until His Strength Gave Away; Was One of Best Known Men of Finance in Western World" (Oct 19, 1906) Los Angeles Times
^ abcdefgH.D. Barrows (1906). "Herman W. Hellman". Tenth Annual Report of the Pioneers of Los Angeles County and the Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California. 7 (1). University of California Press: 82–83. doi:10.2307/41168619. JSTOR41168619.
Media related to Herman W. Hellman at Wikimedia Commons
