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Helms Bakeries, bakers of Helms Olympic Bread, Los Angeles, California

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Helms Bakeries, bakers of Helms Olympic Bread, Los Angeles, California

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Identifier	clloy_198
Title	Helms Bakeries, bakers of Helms Olympic Bread, Los Angeles, California
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	1940
Subject (Topic)	Bakeries--California--Culver City; Commercial buildings--California--Culver City;
Subject (Name)	Helms Bakeries;
Subject (Place)	Culver City (Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	US
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/generalinformation/departments/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Publisher	Helms Bakeries
Place of Publication	Los Angeles, California
Language	eng
Description	An exterior view of the Helms Bakery Building, located between Venice Blvd. and Washington Blvd. at Helms Ave. in Culver City, California. The Helms Olympic Bread logo appears in the upper left corner of the image.
Historical Background	Culver City was developed on land that was formerly part of Rancho La Ballona, belonging to the Machado and Talamantes families, and Rinc??n de Los Bueyes, which belonged to the Higuera and Lopez families. In 1913, Harry H. Culver, who had been working in a real estate firm in Van Nuys, announced his plans to create a city midway between downtown Los Angeles and the beachside resort town of Venice. The location consisted of only 1.2 square miles, but was located along railroad tracks and other transportation routes, and in a temperate area. He formed the Culver Investment Company, and began working to create a community that balanced commercial and residential interests. Over the next fifty years, the city would prosper and grow in size to about five square miles. In 1915, Culver convinced Thomas Ince to move his Inceville movie studios to the new community, and throughout Culver City's early years, movie studios provided the economic base for the area. Culver City incorporated in 1917. In 1931, Paul Helms opened his industrial bakery business on the border of Culver City with 32 employees and 11 coaches. Every weekday morning, Helms trucks would deliver baked goods throughout the Los Angeles area, and the Helms motto, "Daily to your Door" was inscribed on the bakery building's exterior. Helms won a contract to supply bread for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, a fact which was proudly displayed on the Helms logo thereafter. Over the years, the bakeries enjoyed considerable success. In 1969, the bakery won a contract to supply the first bread to be taken on a space shuttle to the moon. Later that same year, however, the bakery closed due to changing lifestyle patterns, insurance issues, and competition from supermarkets.
Additional Printed Matter	On back: "Have just returned from a tour of Helms, the world's largest home-to-home Bakery. It was wonderful!" "Fresh Daily at your door"
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: 0B-H1165
Additional Notes	Date from publisher's serial number; Printed using the C.T. Art-Colortone process; Printed on linen textured paper.
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection