Month: November 2024

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 34 O Street NW

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.

photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 34 O St NW:

  • May 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 34 O St NW to Pearle E. and Thelma L. Staggers.
  • May 1951 the Staggers borrowed $3,125 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • May 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 34 O St NW to Angie O. and Edward M. Smith.
  • May 1951 the Smiths (not the band) borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1953 the Staggers lost their half of the house to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership.
  • April 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the foreclosed half to George E. and his wife Willie Strother.
  • April 1953 the Strothers borrowed $3,797.55 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • September 1956 the Smiths lost their half to foreclosure. Newer Colonial partner Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
  • November 1961 the Colonial partners, their wives and the Levin survivors, as part of a larger property package, sold half of the property to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • April 1969 the Strothers were released from their mortgage and owned their half of the home free and clear for many years.
  • July 1971 Basiliko sold his half, as part of a larger property package, to the Housing System Development and Construction Corp.  It seems.
  • April 1978 Basiliko was able to sell this and other properties to Freeman Home Improvement, Inc.

I’m to end this in the 1970s because tracing ownership gets messy.  This story includes two foreclosures and Basiliko ownership. It does not wind up in the hands of the DC Redevelopment Land Agency.

Memory Lane: Elections at Dunbar

Election Day at Dunbar Senior High School. Taken November 2006.

We used to vote at this ugly building.

WSIC-Related- 114 Q Street NW

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.

114 Q St NW was a house neighboring the WSIC houses. Let’s take a look at it.

photo of 114 Q St NW. Washington, DC 20001 in 2004.

Above is a 2004 photo of 114 Q St NW to show the lot number, but unfortunately lot 815 only goes back to 1971. So it requires some sleuthing.

Okay looking at a 1919 map 114 Q sits on lot 808. Looking up lot 808, the names Charles H. and Louise J. Wesley are on a 1922 document so looking up Charles’ name, it brings up lots 17, 26, 808, & 815 from 1922-1971.

Lot 17 only brings up a 1971 document # 1971024238.

Lot 26 has a lot more going on because it includes lots 806, 807 and 808. Looking at the various documents, the Washington Sanitary Improvement Co (WSIC) does not appear. However the Washington Loan and Trust Company, which is WSIC adjacent shows up for a loan.

1919 Baist Map. Portion of Sq. 552

Lot 808, shows 5 documents ranging from 1924 to 1930 for the Wesleys.

Lot 815 begins with document # 1971024238 with Charles Wesley’s name and continues to the present. The 1971 document shows that Charles and Louise sold their home to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency for $12,000.

Charles H. Wesley was involved with a lot of property transactions. So I have to limit it to Sq. 552.

  • December 1922 Margaret A. and William E.G. Penny sold 114 Q St NW to Louise and Charles Wesley. The Wesleys borrowed $2,250 from trustees Vernon D. Acree and William V. Mahoney.
  • February 1924 the Wesleys borrowed $7,100 from trustees Ralph P. Bernard and Guy H. Johnson.
  • June 1927 the Wesleys took out 2 $500 loans from trustee George Francis Williams.
  • June 1927 the Wesleys paid off their February 1924 loan.
  • May 1930 the Wesleys were released from their December 1922 loan.
  • June 1930 the Wesleys took out a $4000 loan from the Washington Permanent Building Association.
  • June 1930 the Wesleys were released from their two June 1937 loans.
  • November 1945 the Wesleys were released from the June 1930 loan.
  • November 1971 the Wesleys sold the property to DC RLA.

I’ll leave it at 1971.

Looking at a 1930 census, Charles and Louise were African Americans living at their home, they owned at 731 Fairmont Street NW, with their 2 daughters and his mother.photo of 731 Fairmont St NW, Washington, DC in 2004.

Larger memorial image loading...When I ventured over to the profession I see that Mr. Wesley is Dr. Wesley at a university. Time to check the Google. Dr. Rev. Wesley was the former president of HBCU Wilberforce University, wrote books with Carter G. Woodson, and while in DC was a professor at Howard University. He has a very impressive biography.

Did he live in Truxton Circle? I’m going to say no. The 1930-1940 census the family lived on Fairmont.

The  1950 census showed Dr. and Mrs. Wesley in Wilberforce, OH…. which explains why nothing much happened with the property in the late 1940s and till 1971. In 1942 he went to serve as Wilberforce University’s new president. Later he served as a college president for Central State University till 1965. It seems he came back to DC to serve as the president of Carter G. Woodson’s Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now ASALH) and he died in 1987.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 30 O Street NW

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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 30 O St NW:

  • February 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 30 O St NW to Nathelma A. and William L. Ewell.
  • Feb 1951 the Ewells borrowed $3,025 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 30 O St NW to Lewis E. and Maggie K. Harris.
  • February 1951 Mr. and Mrs. Harris borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1953 Mr. & Mrs. Harris lost their home to foreclosure and the ownership their half returned to Evans, Levin and Taube via an auction.
  • April 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the foreclosed half to Mary E. and John B. Thomas.
  • April 1953 mother and son, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas borrowed $3,807.24 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
  • September 1954 the Ewells sold their home back to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • June 1959 as part of a larger property package, new owner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, their wives and Levin’s survivors sold the half of 30 O St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • September 1967 John B. Thomas are released from their mortgage. Mary Thomas had died March 27, 1955.

So it gets confusing after that. Either Basiliko sold his half to Housing System Dev. and Construction Corporation in 1972 or to the Freedman Home Improvement Co. in 1978. Thomas sold his half in 1981. There was one foreclosure.