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 64 Bates St NW:
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 64 Bates St NW to Blanche M. and John W. Thomas.
- December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Mr. and Mrs. Thomas borrowed $3,025 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 64 Bates St NW to Charles and Charlotte Harris.
- Dec 1950 Mr. and Mrs. Harris borrowed $3,025 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
- February 1955 the Harris lost their half to foreclosure and through an auction it returned to Evans, Levin and Taube.
- November 1961, as part of a large property package (doc 1962000416), Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold the foreclosed half of 64 Bates St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
- February 1963 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were released from their mortgage.
- April 1978 Basiliko Inc sold half of 64 Bates to Bernard C. and Lenora E. Maddox.
- July 1978 Mr. and Mrs. Thomas sold their half to Mr. and Mrs. Maddox, bringing the home under one owner. And it remains in the ownership of a Maddox today.
So there was a foreclosure, which led to partial ownership by Basiliko. But eventually, one original buyer was able to pay off their mortgage and sell to a couple.