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 75 Bates St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 75 Bates St NW to Leatha and Wesley Baxter.
- December 1950 the Baxters borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 75 Bates St NW to Beatrice C. and Willie Frayer.
- Dec 1950 the Frayers borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- May 1955 the Baxters lost their half to foreclosure and the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube through an auction.
- August 1956 the Frayers sold their half back to the Colonial Investment Co partners (new partner Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube). They were released from their mortgage March 1959.
- March 1959 (doc# 1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 75 Bates and other properties on the block to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- 1970s (no document found) noted slum landlord George Basiliko sold 75 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency.
- June 1980 (doc 8000020294) the DC Redevelopment Land Agency sold 75 Bates to the BSA Limited Partnership. BSA is short for Bates Street Associates.
Some of these entries I was able to copy paste from previous WSIC posts, so the pattern is strong with this one. There was only one foreclosure. I have seen several other buy backs where Black home purchasers sell their half or whole of the property back to Evans, Levin and Taube or Badt, Evans and Taube. I wonder to the why. I have guesses, but that is all they are…. guesses from someone 73 years removed from the transaction.