Category: 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 16 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 16 Bates NW to Wilhelmina and William U. Scott.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Scotts borrowed $5,750 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• August 1962 the Scotts were released from their mortgage owning their home free and clear.
• October 1975 received a loan for $4,250 from the DC Department of Housing and Community Development.

Well. This one was very different. The Scotts bought the whole house, paid it off and owned it for most of their lives. Wilhelmina died in 2008, but a few years before she passed there was a Power of Attorney signed over to her nephew. So it turned out well.

The Scotts were hard to pin down. I discovered Wilhelmina’s maiden name, Pitt. She and William must have married after 1940. In the 1940 census she was living with her mother and siblings, who were named in her obituary, in Cecil, MD working as a parlor maid. There were two or more William U. Scotts. I did find a valveman William “A” Scott with a wife named Wilhelmina in the 1933 DC city directory. However, there were several William Scotts throughout the world married to women named Wilhelmina.

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

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 67 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 26, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 67 Bates Street NW to Geneva M. Harrison.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 1951) Mrs. Harrison borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 67 Bates St NW to Marion Grayson and Catherine VM Smith, both married persons. Marion was a man.
• Feb 1951 Grayson and Smith borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• May 1954 Mrs. Harrison lost her half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube who regained ownership through an auction.
• April 1957 Grayson and Smith lost their half to foreclosure. Colonial Investment Co. leadership, Harry A. Badt, Evans, and Taube repossessed the property via an auction.
• April 1957, Harry and wife Jennie Badt transferred/ sold their interest in this and several properties to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
• March 1959 (doc# 1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 67 Bates St NW and other properties on the block 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.
• June 1980 (doc #8000020294) the DC RLA sold/transferred this and other properties to BSA Limited Partnership. BSA is possibly short for Bates Street Associates. It is paired with doc #8000020221 a contract between DC RLA and BSA Ltd Partnership.

It was interesting that both units went into foreclosure and Colonial Investment Co. did not bother to resell them and then sold them to Basiliko. I’m 90% certain, without a document to prove it, that Basiliko sold it to DC RLA. Then it went from RLA to some version of the Bates Street Associates.

The name Geneva M. Harrison seemed familiar so I discovered she also bought 50 Bates Street NW . So who was Geneva M. Harrison? She was born August 24, 1915 and married to William A. (Buttercup) Harrison who died in 1948. That year’s city directory she was listed as living at 221 Q St NW and working as a maid for Washington Loan and Trust. In the 1950 census, she was still living at 221 Q St NW, but working as a dietician at a hospital. Notably, her 17 year old son William was also working at a hospital as a cook. There were several people living at 221 Q. There were her two daughters Lillian and Rosa (15 yo and 12), the before mentioned son, his 16 year old wife, their infant son William Jr. and a 50 year old roomer. She owned (for a time) 67 and 50 Bates Street and in 1973 she purchased 5129 H St SE, then sold it in 1978.

Grayson also seemed like a familiar name. It was but the people were different, just same surname. Then the question is why did Grayson and Smith buy a unit together? Looking up Marion Grayson, there is a record of Grayson marrying in 1947 a Barbara Varnetta Smith. She was the daughter of Clarence L. and Catherine V. Smith. So he bought a unit with his mother-in-law.

In 1950 Catherine Smith (nee Muse) was a 43 year old African American housewife living with her husband and three of their children at 415 New York Ave NW (where the YALE apartments sit now). Her husband Clarence worked as a gas station attendant and 19 year old daughter Jacqueline sold newspapers. Her other daughter Barbara was living with her husband’s family at 1137 8th St NW with her 1st husband Marion Grayson and infant son Sheldon. Marion was working for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as a printers helper.

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 77 Bates St NW:

• January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 77 Bates Street NW to Vernie V. Carter and Randolph E. Williams, both married…probably not to each other.
• Jan 1951 Carter and Williams borrowed $5,800 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• July 1956 Carter and Williams lost 77 Bates to foreclosure and new Colonial partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, and Taube repossessed the property via an auction.
• July 1956 Harry A. Badt and wife Jennie sold/transferred some or all of their interest in the property to Nathan Levin’s survivors.
• March 1959 (doc 1959019387) Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 77 Bates and other properties on the block to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• Sometime in the 1970s, there is no document found, noted slum landlord George Basiliko sold 77 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency.
• In 1978 (no document but a contract 7800024140) the DC Redevelopment Land Agency sold 77 Bates to the Bates Street Associates, Incorporated (BSA).
• September 1980 the BSA, Incorp. transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership. Is there a difference between the two? No idea. Anyway… that happened.
• April 1982 the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership sold the property back to the District of Columbia.

It fits the pattern.

So I was curious about Randolph E. Williams and Vernie V. Carter. I found people but I don’t know if these are the same people. The most likely Vernie Carters of all the Vernie Carters was a Vernie V. Carter, a 31 year old Af-Am woman who was working and living as a maid for a White family (the Art Brown family) in 1940 Arlington, VA. She was listed as married. Randolph E. Williams could be Randolph Ernest Williams Sr.

The Randolph E. Williams I picked, I found was born in Virginia in 1913. He listed Mrs. Vernie Virginia Carter, his sister, on his World War II draft card. She lived in Arlington, VA.  Vernie had married Hampton Carter and had at least one child. Anyway, Randolph married Hildegarde Anita Burns in 1940. In the 1950 census he lived at 4105 4th St SE with his wife and their 3 children. He worked as a janitor.

It is interesting that brother and sister tried to be homeowners or landlords. A quick search showed that in 1963 he and wife Hildegarde bought 831 Xenia Street SE. Records from 2006 mention Hildegarde’s death on October 19, 2003. So the foreclosure was a temporary setback.