Helms Bakery

File:Helms Bakery, Culver City, California LCCN2017706729.tif in 1977]]

File:Helms Bakery, Culver City, California LCCN2017706730.tifIn 1926, Paul Helms of New York took early retirement for health reasons and moved his family to Southern California. Helms started construction on a building between Washington and Venice Boulevards in 1930 and, on March 2, 1931, the Helms Bakery opened with 32 employees and 11 delivery coaches. Helms was reported to have wanted his delivery vehicles to be known as coaches, noting that garbage is delivered in trucks.{{Cite web |last=Jarvis |first=Michael T. |date=2002-09-22 |title=To Helms and Back |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-22-tm-fxhelms38-story.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

The Helms motto was "Daily at Your Door" and every weekday morning, from both the Culver City facility and a second Helms Bakery site in Montebello, dozens of Helms coaches,{{cite web|title=Lyon Museum Helms Bakery Truck|url=http://www.vonhoffmann.org/vehicles.html|publisher=Lyon Museum|accessdate=May 28, 2012|archive-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207005700/http://www.vonhoffmann.org/vehicles.html|url-status=dead}} painted in a two-tone scheme, would leave the bakery for various parts of the Los Angeles Basin to San Gabriel Valley, when the network of freeways had not yet been built. Each coach, piloted by a "Helmsman", would travel through assigned neighborhoods.{{Cite web |date=2009-06-20 |title=LAistory: The Helms Bakery Coaches |url=https://laist.com/news/laistory |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=LAist |language=en}} The driver periodically pulled (twice) on a large handle that sounded a whistle or stopping at a house where a Helms sign, a blue placard with an "H" on it, was displayed in their windows.{{cite web |last=William-Ross |first=Lindsay |title=The Helms Bakery Coaches |url=http://laist.com/2009/06/20/laistory.php |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623155937/http://laist.com/2009/06/20/laistory.php |archivedate=June 23, 2013 |accessdate=May 28, 2012 |publisher=LAistory}} {{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7ITVxMts2s |title=helms whistle & pic 2 |date=2015-04-25 |last=Darrel Morley |access-date=2025-05-28 |via=YouTube}}

Helms Bakery become the "official baker" of the 1932 Summer Olympics when Paul Helms won a contract to supply bread for the 1932 games in Los Angeles. His slogan was "Olympic Games Bakers - Choice of Olympic Champions."{{cite web|title=Hoy-Hermenet Web Site|url=http://www.eltiste-kaiser.com/HoyFile/Hoy-2/PaulHoyHelms-CA.htm|publisher=Hoy-Hermenet Home Page|accessdate=May 28, 2012}} Four years later, in time for the 1936 Summer Olympics, Germany asked Helms for his bread recipes. The U.S. teams at London and Helsinki requested his bread be served.{{cite journal|last=Jares|first=Joe|title=A Baker's Dream Needs Dough|journal=Sports Illustrated|date=September 7, 1970|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084005/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114162119/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084005/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 14, 2012}} Early Helms vehicles sported the Olympic symbol, and it also appeared on and was mentioned in, the Helms logo on the bread wrappers,{{cite web|url=http://www.socal.com/artman/publish/article_1033.shtml|title=SoCal's Best at SoCal.com|website=www.socal.com|access-date=2006-12-02|archive-date=2007-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211123541/http://www.socal.com/artman/publish/article_1033.shtml|url-status=dead}} the company logo, and sign.{{cite web|title=GlamAmor at the Helms Design District Vintage Boutique on Saturday!|url=http://www.glamamor.com/2011/06/glamamor-at-helms-design-district.html|publisher=Glamamor|accessdate=May 28, 2012}}File:Helms-truck-lemay.jpg

Paul Helms died on January 5, 1957, at age 67, but the business continued to operate, run by family members. Its delivery network gradually grew to include Fresno to the north; San Bernardino to the east, and south to Orange County and San Diego. The San Bernardino facility was located on the northeast corner of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Birch Street.

In the company's final year of operation, a marketing campaign netted Helms a contract to furnish "the first bread on the moon," via the Apollo 11 space mission.

Citing changing consumer shopping habits, and the threat unionization by drivers, the Helms company ceased operations in 1969. {{Cite web |date=2017-07-18 |title=The History of Helms Bakery: How the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics helped launch a family business |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/food/the-history-of-helms-bakery-how-the-1932-los-angeles-olympics-helped-launch-a-family-business |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=PBS SoCal |language=en}} {{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Mayerene |date=1992-08-08 |title=Bakery Truck Rises From Bygone Era |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-08-me-4710-story.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} Paul Helms Jr stated “The irreversible reality is that this form of merchandising is no longer needed by the consumer,”.{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Mayerene |date=1992-08-08 |title=Bakery Truck Rises From Bygone Era |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-08-me-4710-story.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} The Marks family purchased Helms Bakery in the early 1970s and initiated adaptive reuse of a historic structure.

Helms was well known throughout Los Angeles for distinctive delivery vehicles, painted in pale yellow and varying other colors. Helms used several different vehicles over the years, including trucks from DIVCO and Twin Coach. Helms eventually replaced their fleet with General Motors Panel Vans.{{Cite web |date=2009-06-20 |title=LAistory: The Helms Bakery Coaches |url=https://laist.com/news/laistory |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=LAist |language=en}}

[https://lyonairmuseum.org/ Lyon Air Museum] in Santa Ana CA - 1940's Faegol / Twin Coach{{Cite web |last=lyoneair |date=2020-08-25 |title=1940S DIVCO HELMS BAKERY TRUCK |url=https://lyonairmuseum.org/exhibits/automobiles/1940s-divco-helms-bakery-truck/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Lyon Air Museum |language=en-US}}

[https://lionsautomobilia.org/ Lions Automobilia Museum] in Rancho Dominguez CA - 1962 Chevrolet{{Cite web |title=1962 Helm Bakery Truck - VID268 |url=https://lionsautomobilia.org/1962-helm-bakery-truck/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Lions Automobilia Foundation |language=en-US}}

[https://www.americascarmuseum.org/ LeMay Car Museum] Tacoma WA - 1950's Twin Coach (Possibly no longer on display)

Petersen Automotive Museum, Los Angeles CA{{cite web |title=The Petersen Automotive Museum - Classic Life |url=http://www.customclassictrucks.com/eventcoverage/0908cct_the_petersen_automotive_museum/photo_07.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703031544/http://www.customclassictrucks.com/eventcoverage/0908cct_the_petersen_automotive_museum/photo_07.html |archive-date=July 3, 2013 |accessdate=May 28, 2012 |publisher=Custom Classic Trucks}} (Possibly no longer on display)

The former bakery location in Culver City is now how to the [https://helmsdesigndistrict.com/ Helms Design District]. The district includes restaurants, a bakery marketplace and design and home furnishing stores. In 2003, the iconic Helms Olympic Bakery sign was restored and relit at the cost of $60,000.{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Daniel |date=2003-08-25 |title=Bakery's Rooftop Sign Relighted After 3 Decades |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-aug-25-me-sign25-story.html |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} In 2025, a modern interpretation of Helms Bakery opened in the district, offering bakery items that evoke the Helms era.{{Cite news |last=Palmer |first=Karen |title=Calif.'s long-lost bakery, finally reopened, has been to the moon and back |url=https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/helms-bakery-culver-city-reopening-sang-yoon-20008908.php |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250409165242/https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/helms-bakery-culver-city-reopening-sang-yoon-20008908.php |archive-date=2025-04-09 |access-date=2025-05-23 |work=SFGATE |language=en}}

There is an active Facebook group, entitled "Helms Bakery Truck".

The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History houses a collection of ephemera relating to the Helms, including placards and wrappers.{{Cite web |title=Helms Bakery Collection |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8z038rh/entire_text/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=oac.cdlib.org}}

Artist Art Mortimer created a three dimensional mural at the Culver City location entitled "Helms Coach Gone A Rye", depicting the rear portion of a Helms Bakery coach and a mural of a Los Angeles street.{{Cite web |title=Art Mortimer Website - Murals |url=http://www.artmortimer.com/Pages/HelmsCoach.html |access-date=2025-05-23 |website=www.artmortimer.com}}

In the 1954 episode of Dragnet, "The Big Frame",{{Citation |last=Webb |first=Jack |title=The Big Frame |date=1954-04-22 |work=Dragnet |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0565782/ |access-date=2025-05-23 |others=Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, Carolyn Jones}} at the 13:05 minute mark{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=aN21uaeUiqzB4M0R&t=784&v=n65REX-VSko&feature=youtu.be |title=Dragnet - Season 3 - Episode 34 - The Big Frame |date=2018-11-20 |last=The Film Detective |access-date=2025-05-23 |via=YouTube}} the distinctive Helms Bakery whistle can be heard in the background. A character then references needing to get bread and other items from "the bakery wagon".

In an apparent tribute to the Helms Bakery, a churro cart ("Willie's Churros") in Disney California Adventure is styled and painted to resemble a Helms delivery coach.

{{Further|Warren Group – Studio Deluxe}}

{{commons category|Helms Bakery}}

• Helms Athletic Foundation

• [http://www.helmsbakerydistrict.com/ Helms Bakery District website]
• [http://gombessa.tripod.com/scienceleadstheway/id5.html Helms Bakery by Frank J. Leskovitz]
• Location: {{coord|34.029945|-118.385373|source:googlemaps_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}

{{Culver City, California}}

Category:Bakeries of California

Category:Buildings and structures in Culver City, California

Category:Industrial buildings and structures in California

Category:Landmarks in Los Angeles

Category:Companies based in Culver City, California

Category:American companies established in 1931

Category:Retail companies established in 1931

Category:Food and drink companies established in 1931

Category:Food and drink companies disestablished in 1969

Category:1931 establishments in California

Category:1969 disestablishments in California

Category:Adaptive reuse of industrial structures in Greater Los Angeles