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.
Regarding the home owners Vera (nee Vera Adelaide Baggatts) & Ralph Wright in 1950 lived at 908 G St SW, under his mother’s roof. They lived there with his sister, their niece and their two children. At the time Ralph worked as a messenger for the State Department. He was listed as a messenger on his WW2 draft card and prior to their marriage in 1942, Vera was a domestic servant. In 1967 Ralph Wright died.
In 1930 Winston Scott Devaughn married Mary Alice Carroll. In 1940 the Devaughns were living on Westminster St NW where Winston worked as a laborer for Capitol Transit. Alice was a homemaker caring for their three children. In the 1954 city directory, Winston was listed as a clerk working for the Civil Service and living at 239 56th St NE. Later in life he lived at 447 Decatur Street, NW. He was also a Baptist minister. He was with the Civil Service Commission for 31 years. Winston died in 1979.
In 1950 the Peaces were living separately, according to the Census. Louis Peace was 23 years old, living at 1365 Parkwood PL NW as a lodger and working as a laborer. Martha was living with her two children and other relatives at her sister’s house at 2318 M St NW. Her marital status was listed as “separated” and she worked as a domestic. Louis Jasper Peace married Martha Jane Dorsey in 1937. It appears they got back together to buy a home. Louis died November 13, 1992.
Arabella Diggs Harper married James Edwards Brynes in 1949. In 1950 the Brynes lived at 2217 12th St NW. James was a 64 year old janitor who worked for a bakery. Arabella was a 54 year old homemaker. They lived with their nephew, his wife and their grand niece. James had been married before. For the WWI draft he was listed as being married (different woman) with three children. Same for Arabella as she had been married to Washington Williams.