Landmark to Be Torn Down, February 8, 1959

Photograph by John Malmin / Los Angeles Times Broadway and 2nd Street in a photo published Feb. 8, 1959. View Larger Map And the intersection via Google maps' street view, showing The Times corporate garage.

As far as I can determine, the original Hellman building was constructed about 1897. In 1903, I.W. Hellman announced plans to extend the building along 2nd Street and add two stories--although the 1959 photograph shows it as a three-story building.   A feature on one of the more colorful residents of the building.   And less than fond memories of the Hellman Building in its later days.

Comments

[Nathan]

The Hellman Block! This was a Morgan & Walls, who did so many great buildings in Los Angeles. Kind of a Richardsonian Romanesque with Ionic pilasters. It was done for Isaias W. Hellman, who's important to LA banking, and the Times, check out his wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaias_W._Hellman -- though it looks like he and his brother Herman (this building is sometimes called the Herman Hellman Bldng) didn't have the dough to pony up for the top two stories.
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics18/00018611.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics08/00013732.jpg

As long as we're on the subject of buildings torn down by the Times, the Bryson Block was adjacent to the Hellman, and was demo'd for Rowland Henry Crawford's 1948 Mirror Building.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7294653@N07/2959852285/