In lieu of a February Black History post, WSIC continues, because it is Black History.
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. In 1956 Nathan Levin died and Colonial Inv. Co. vice president Harry A. Badt took his place in the foreclosure paperwork. 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 36 Bates St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 36 Bates St NW to Sallie Ayers, separated and Valiree Myers, widowed.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Ayers and Myers borrowed $1,900 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 36 Bates St NW to Ella and Thomas Dyson.
- Dec 1950 the Dysons borrowed $1,900 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- July 1953 the Dysons via intermediary Edith E. Matthews transferred/sold their property to Ella Butler (??formerly Dyson ??).
- September 1959 Ayers and Myers lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction the property was repossessed by Badt, Evans, and Taube.
- September 1959 Harry and Jennie Badt sold/ transferred their interest in this and other properties to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
- November 1961, as part of a large property package (doc 1962000416), Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 36 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- December 1961 the Dysons were released from their mortgage.
- November 1977 Ella Butler sold her half to George Basiliko Inc.
- August 1978 George Basiliko Inc sold the property to Bates Street Ventures Partnership.
There was only one foreclosure and the remaining owner sold to slum land lord George Basiliko. However, neither the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) nor did the Bates Street Associates (BSA) have anything to do with this property. The Bates Street Ventures Partnership appears to have been a different entity.