Day: December 10, 2024

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 221 Bates 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 221 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 221 Bates St NW to Beatrice W. and William C. Mitchell.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Mitchells borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 221 Bates St NW to Ethel Taylor, a widow.
  • Jan 1951 Mrs. Taylor borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1957 the Mitchells sold/transferred  their property to Pernell and Raymond R. Taylor.
  • November 1961 the Mitchells were released from their mortgage.
  • March 1962 Mrs. Taylor was released from her mortgage and she owned her half free and clear.
  • April 1966 the Taylors sold their half to Frances F. and Raymond L. Rogers.
  • December 1966 the estate of Ethel Taylor, represented by Coleman S. Holmes sold her half to the Rogers, bringing the property under one owner.
  • August 1970 the Rogers sold their half to DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • June 1980 the DC RLA sold/transferred the house to the Bates Street Associates as part of a larger property package.

Despite their being no foreclosures the house wound up in the hands of the DC government. Oh well.