Day: January 5, 2025

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 35 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 35 Bates St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 35 Bates NW to Johnny Bobo.
  • Jan 1951 Bobo borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 35 Bates St NW to James S. and Margaret L. McNeal.
  • Jan 1951 the McNeals borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • August 1953 the McNeals lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction ownership returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • March 1953 Johnny and Patsy Dean Bobo sold their half to Lilian Robinson.
  • August 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the foreclosed half to Bennie Sr. and Cleo Cousar.
  • August 1953 the Cousars borrowed $3,122.27 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
  • December 1954 Johnny Bobo and by extension Ms. Robinson lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • June 1959 (doc #1959024641), as part of a large property package, Evans, Taube, new partner Harry A. Badt, Nathan Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 35 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • October 1971 the Cousars and the Basilikos sold the house, as a whole, to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) for the sum of $11,750.
  • July 1978 (doc # 7800024140) there is a contract between DC RLA and the Bates Street Associates Inc (BSA) regarding 35 Bates St NW. These contracts for other TC properties are usually paired with a deed.

This house fit the pattern. There were a couple of foreclosures, and ownership went to slum landlord George Basiliko, DC RLA and BSA.