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 142 Q St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold all of 142 Q St NW to Proctor E. Butler.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Mr. Butler borrowed $6,750 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- July 1952 Mr. Butler lost the home to foreclosure and via an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
- August 1952 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold one half of 142 Q St NW to Annie R. and Roosevelt Johnson.
- August 1952 the Johnsons borrowed $3,450.31 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- August 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the other half to Dora C. and Howard O. Hackett.
- August 1952 the Hacketts borrowed $3,250.30 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
- February 1952 the Johnson lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
- May 1954 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the foreclosed half to divorcee Evelyn S. Brown and widow Louise M. Smith.
- May 1954 Smith and Brown borrowed $3,955.38 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
- May 1956 the Hacketts lost their half to foreclosure and it returned to the possession of Evans, Levin, and Taube via an auction.
- November 1961 new Colonial Investment Co. partner Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube, their wives, and the survivors of Nathan Levin sold the remaining half of 142 Q to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- July 1967 Brown and Smith lost their half of 142 Q to foreclosure and via an auction the survivors of Nathan Levin, Evans and Taube.
- July 1970 Evans, the survivors of Nathan Levin, and Taube sold the remaining half to George Basiliko.
- August 1970 (document # 1970016172) the Basilikos sold 142 Q St to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
- May 1976 the DC Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings condemned the building then cancelled that order in October.
- July 1978 (doc #7800024142 ) DC RLA transferred ownership to the Bates Street Associates Inc. as part of a larger property package. They failed to improve the property.
Side note- this house has been vacant for like—- forever.