Who are the Hulmans? Part Three

Continuing the work of his wife Herman bought a building capable of holding 60 patients, three times as much as before, and donated another $10,000 to convert it to a hospital. The Herman would continue to contribute to health care in the Terre Haute area providing $80,000 for hospital expansion in 1908. As Herman aged, he occasionally took time to hunt and fish, along with ride his horses. But business was always on his mind and Herman was hopeful that Herman Jr. would join the family business. Those plans changed when Herman Jr. left to be married in Cincinnati. After he eventually returned, he never lived up to his Father's expectations.
Undeterred Herman started the biggest project of his life, the new Hulman Building. 
The project was an obsession for Herman and he often became ill from the long hours he was working. Herman began looking for a site in 1888, and he found it at 9th and Wabash in 1892. ``It was easy enough to plan the exterior, but to plan the interior and arrange the machinery and different departments from cellar to dome was a mental tax with which I never again want to be burdened,'' Herman recalled. Finally after settling on plans, the building was opened in 1893. More than 5,000 people came out to see the Romanesque Revival-style building. By 1903 Diedrich and Theodore had passed and Herman's sons began taking on more responsibility in the family business.
The business continued to expand and employed over 150, including 50 traveling salesman. The new territory being covered created needs for new branches in Mattoon, Ill., Paris, Ill., Evansville, and Brazil. During this period Herman continued various philanthropic efforts throughout Terre Haute. In 1898, Anton's marriage would end in divorce. This was especially troubling to Herman, a devout Catholic. But soon after Anton remarried, and an event would happen that changed the Hulmans forever. In 1901, Anton Hulman Jr. was born. An event that made the usually reserved Herman unable to hide his pride. Anton "Tony" Hulman Jr. is a name that has become known to race fans around the world. From that day forward the Hulman legacy would continue to grow.