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 65 Bates St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 65 Bates NW to Alice N. and Wilston S. DeVaughn.
- Dec 1950 the DeVaughns 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 65 Bates St NW to Louis J. and Martha J. Peace.
- Dec 1950 the Peaces borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- July 1952 the DeVaughns lost their half to foreclosure and through an auction the property returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
- October 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the foreclosed unit to Arabella and James E. Byrnes.
- Oct 1952 the Byrnes borrowed $3,148.95 from Levin and Weightman.
- Oct 1952 the Peaces lost their half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube repossessed the property with an auction.
- November 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the unit to Ralph and Vera A. Wright.
- Nov 1952 the Wrights borrowed $3,164.38 from trustees Levin and Weightman.
- April 1956 the Byrnes sold their unit back to the Colonial Investment Co. represented by Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube. The document noted that James E. Byrnes died February 3, 1955. They were released from their mortgage March 1959.
- May 1957 the Wrights lost their half to foreclosure. Through an auction the property was repossessed by Badt, Evans, and Taube, thus bringing the whole house back under the ownership of the Colonial Investment Co.
- May 1957 Harry and Jennie Badt transferred/sold some or all of their interest in the property to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
- March 1959 (doc #1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors, their spouses sold this and several other Truxton Circle properties to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- Between 1971-1972 Basiliko was released from three mortgages and the next document has the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) as the owner, so we are left to assume around 1970 Basiliko sold the property to RLA.
- Around 1978 the DC RLA sold/transferred this and other properties to the Bates Street Associates. A contract (doc #7800024140) DC RLA and Bates Street Associates, Inc hints to a deed I cannot find.
There were several foreclosures and a selling back. This makes me question the original motives of Colonial Investment Co. This fits the pattern of foreclosure followed by George Basiliko, followed by DC RLA then followed by the Bates Street Associates. Continue reading WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 65 Bates Street NW