Month: October 2024

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 were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 1517 3rd St NW:

• February 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1517 3rd NW to Louis W. and Lucille H. Williams.
• February 1951 the Williams borrowed $3,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1517 3rd St NW to Mrs. Ethel W. Stanley.
• Feb 1951 Stanley borrowed $3,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• May 1962 Stanley paid off her mortgage.
• May 1962 Mr. and Mrs. Williams paid off their mortgage.

Another good ending. No foreclosure and mortgages paid off in 11 years.

It’s been a while but, I’m back with the goal of getting every WSIC house.

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 were the odd lucky ones who managed to avoid that fate.

Let’s see what happens with 1515 3rd St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1515 3rd St NW to Edna B. and William N. Dean.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Deans borrowed $3,375 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• April 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1515 3rd St NW to Harvey L. and Sadie B. Christian.
• April 1951 the Christians borrowed $3,425 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• November 1952 the Christians were thrown to the lions and lost their half of the property to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
• February 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube turned around and sold the foreclosed half to Ederson R. and Tiney Willis.
• February 1953 the Willis’ borrowed $4,211.05 from Levin and Weightman.
• February 1962 the Deans paid off their mortgage.
• September 1967 Tiney Willis and her son Ederson paid off their mortgage.

And that’s the end. Only one foreclosure and the property did not wind up in the hands of a slum lord or the city government.