The Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC) was a late 19th century charitable capitalism experiment that ended in the 1950s. This blog started looking at the homes that were supposed to be sold to African American home buyers, after decades of mainly renting to white tenants.
Looking at WSIC properties they tend to have a pattern where the properties were sold to a three business partners, Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans as the Colonial Investment Co. for $3 million dollars. Those partners sold to African American buyers. There was usually a foreclosure. Then the property wound up in the hands of George Basiliko and or the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA). Then there was the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.
Let’s see what happens with 223 P St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 223 P St NW to Daisy K. and Delaney Oliver.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Olivers borrowed $3,150 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- January 1951 (recorded in February) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 223 P St NW to Mrs. Susie A. Baker, and Edna and Clyde Workcuff.
- Jan 1951 Mrs. Baker and the Workcuffs borrowed $3,150 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- July 1952 the Olivers sold their half to Julius and Lucy J. Graves.
- May 1954 Mrs. Baker and the Workcuffs lost their half of 223 P St NW to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube regained the property via an auction.
- March 1958, the Olivers, and by extension, the Graves, lost their half of 223 P to foreclosure. Evans, Taube and new partner Harry A. Badt regained the the property via an auction, thus bringing the whole property together.
- March 1958, as part of a larger property package Harry and Jennie Badt transfer/sell their interest in the property to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
- March 1959, as part of a very large property package, Evans, Taube and the Levin survivors sell 223 P St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- Sometime between 1972 and 1974 the DC Redevelopment Land Agency took ownership of 223 P St NW.
- June 1980, as part of a larger package, DC RLA sold/transferred ownership of 223 P to the BSA Limited Partnership.
Let’s review again: Divided halves sold to two separate households, check. Foreclosure, double check. Sold to George Basiliko, check. Sold to DC RLA, check. I’ll note that later documents related to the property look messy.