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 52 Bates St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 52 Bates NW to Edward and Mabel Porter.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Porters borrowed $1,900 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 52 Bates St NW to Alonza and Rosalee Taylor.
- Dec 1950 the Taylors borrowed $1,900 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- May 1956 the Porters and the Taylors lost their home to foreclosure and new Colonial Investment Co partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, and Taube repossessed the property via an auction.
- May 1956 Harry and Jennie Badt transferred/sold some or all of their interest in the property to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
- March 1959 Badt, Evans, Taube, the Levin survivors, and their spouses sold 52 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- Prob. 1970, as there is no documentation, Basiliko sold 52 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
- June 1980 (doc #8000020294) the DC Redevelopment Agency sold/ transferred 52 Bates in a large property package to the BSA (Bates Street Associates) Limited Partnership.
So this was a quick one where both halves were foreclosed in the same month. And it went to Basiliko who sold it to DC RLA which then passed it on the Bates Street Associates. It fits the unfortunate pattern.