Category: History

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 211 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 211 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 211 Bates NW to Malachi and his wife Vancie L. Payne.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Paynes borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 211 Bates St NW to Ernest Bailey.
  • Jan 1951 Bailey borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • March 1953, Ernest Bailey who was reportedly divorced and ex-wife Katherine Lea Bailey sold the property back to Evans, Levin and Taube. He was released from the mortgage in May.
  • June 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the resold half to Julius and Kathleen James.
  • June 1953 the James borrowed $3,274.21 from Levin & Weightman.
  • September 1955 the James lost their half to foreclosure and it returned to the ownership of Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • June 1959 (document # 1959024641) Evans, Taube, new partner Harry A. Badt, Nathan Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 211 Bates, as part of a large property package, to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • May 1978 the Paynes sold their half to George Basiliko Inc.
  • August 1978 the Basilikos sold the property in a larger package to the Bates Street Ventures Partnership….. not sure if that is anyway related to the Bates Street Associates (BSA).

There was a foreclosure and property was sold to George Basiliko. It managed to avoid getting sold to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency and the Bates Street Associates…. I think.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 213 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 213 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 213 Bates Street NW to Alice and Calvin Edwards.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) VVVV borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 213 Bates St NW to Jeannette V. Marshall.
  • Dec 1950 Miss Marshall borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1952 the Edwards sold their half to Edward M. Washington.
  • June 1954 Ms. Marshall lost her half to foreclosure and it returned to the possession of Evans, Levin, and Taube via an auction.
  • June 1959 new Colonial Investment Co. partner Harry A. Badt, Evans and Taube, the survivors of Nathan Levin and their spouses sold the foreclosed half of 213 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • August 1959 Edward M. and wife LaVerne Washington sold their half to Colonial Investment Co partners Badt, Evans, and Taube.
  • February 1961 Badt, Evans, Taube, the Levin survivors and their spouses sold the remaining half to George Basiliko.
  • July 1970 (doc# 1970011877) Basiliko, as part of a large package, sold 213 Bates and many other properties to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • August 1979 ( recorded in document # 7900028039) the DC RLA sold/transferred the property (as part of a larger deal) to Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership (BSA)
  • April 1982 the BSA resold/transferred the property back the to District of Columbia government in document #8200033391.

Another property that fits the pattern. A house divided, there is at least one foreclosure. I am surprised the Washingtons via the Edwards were not foreclosed upon but instead had the ‘option’ to sell the property to the Colonial partners. Then once back in the possession of the partners,  was sold to the Basilikos who then sold it to DC RLA who then passed it on to BSA who then sold it back to the DC government.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 203 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 203 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold half of 203 Bates Street NW to Pearl I. and Samuel B. Pryor.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the  borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the other half to Louise and Leroy Winters.
  • Dec 1950 the Winters borrowed $2,525 from Levin and Weightman.
  • May 1954 the Pryors sold their half back to Evans, Levin and Taube and were released from their mortgage a month later.
  • September 1954 the Winters sold their half back to Evans. Levin and Taube and were released from their mortgage March 1959.
  • March 1959 Evans, Taube, the survivors of Nathan Levin and their spouses sold the property, along with several others, to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • July 1970 (doc# 1970011877) Basiliko, as part of a large package, sold 203 Bates and many other properties to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • Probably in 1979 or 1980 (no document located) the DC RLA sold or transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates, Inc (BSA).
  • April 1982 the BSA sold or transferred the property back to the government of the District of Columbia.

I do wonder what were the circumstances that had the buyers selling the property back to the Colonial Investment Company. This fits the later part of the pattern, minus the foreclosures, we have the property going to the Basilikos who then sell it to the city who then pass it on to the BSA.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 62 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 62 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 62 Bates NW to Elease V. and William A. Canty.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Cantys borrowed $3,025 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 62 Bates St NW to Malinda and Thye W. Cook.
  • Dec 1950 Cooks borrowed $3,025 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1952 the Cantys sold their half to Kathleen M. Fuller.
  • September 1954 the Cantys, and Ms. Fuller, lost their home to foreclosure and through an auction Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership.
  • September 1954 the Cooks sold the property back to Colonial Investment Co.’s partners Evans, Levin and Taube.
  • March 1959 the Cooks were released from their mortgage.
  • March 1959 the Colonial Investment Co partners and the Levin survivors, in a larger property package, sold their interest in the property to Sophia and George Basiliko.

    62 Bates St 1968
  • 1970, no document located but list of docs hint that Basiliko sold the property to the DC Redevelopment Agency.
  • June 1980 DC RLA entered into a contract (doc # 8000020221) with BSA (Bates Street Associates) and transferred a large number of properties to the venture (doc # 8000020294, signatories on p.5) Bates Street Associates (BSA).

So we have a house fitting the pattern, a foreclosure, sale to George Basiliko, who then sold it to DC RLA who then sold/transferred it to BSA.

1920 to 1930- White to Black- 1711 New Jersey Avenue

1700 Block NJ Ave NW, 1930. Brown= AfAm residents; White= No data

In this series of looking at the odd numbered side of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW from 1920 to 1930, I decided to look at the other end of the block. The change from 1920 to 1930 for most of the block was from white renters to black home owners. My post The sell off of the 1700 block of New Jersey Ave NW pretty much explains the why.photo of property

White Renters

In 1920 the Talbot family rented 1711 NJ Ave NW. It was headed by Samuel C. Talbert, then a bookkeeper, he lived with his wife Mary, and their adult daughters Helen and Edith.

Samuel was born Dec 1863 in Washington, DC to George and Elizabeth Talbert. He married Mary Harriet Tucker (born 1868) in 1889 and they had three daughters: Edith E. (1891), Marie A. (1898), and Helen Louise (1899). in 1900 the family lived at 1617 6th St NW and Samuel was a bookkeeper. In 1910 the family lived at 436 Q St NW and Samuel worked as a manager at an insurance company.

After the Talberts left New Jersey Avenue in 1920, the Talberts were at 712 N St NW. At this point, Samuel was a 66 year old bookkeeper for an ice cream company. He lived with Mary, their adult daughter Edith and her husband, Merle D. Cardd. Mr. & Mrs. Talbert remained renters on N St NW through to the 1940 census. The only difference was that their daughter Edith remained with them after her divorce.

Black Homeowner

October 1920 the ‘developer’ Ms. M. Harvey Chiswell sold 1711 New Jersey Ave NW to Ms. Maria Jones. Jones got a mortgage from trustees W. Wallace Chiswell (M.’s brother) and real estate developer Harry A. Kite. Jones was released from the mortgage August 1926. March 1934 Jones sold the home to Adeline Stokes Naylor.

I don’t like researching women and with a name like Jones…. nope. There were several African American Maria Jones in Washington DC in 1920. She wasn’t even living at 1711 NJ Av NW in 1930, but renting the house out. So I don’t have any biographical information to work with.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 217 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 217 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 217 Bates NW to James E. Barnes and Juanita Settlers.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Barnes and Settlers borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 217 Bates St NW to Willie M. and Willis R. Roberson.
  • December 1950 the Robersons borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • October 1961 (Recorded 8/8/1973) the Robersons sold their half to Evans, Nathan Levin’s survivors and Taube.
  • November 1961, Colonial Inv. Co. parties sold half to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • May 1962 the Robersons were released from their mortgage.
  • March 1969 Settlers and Barnes were released from their mortgage.

This one is a mixed bag because Basiliko winds up buying out the Barnes estate in 2001.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 202 Q 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 202 Q St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 202 Q NW to Katie L. McCrae, a widow.
  • January 1951 Mrs. McCrae borrowed $6,250 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • August 1961 Mrs. McCrae lost the home to foreclosure and Evans, Taube, and some of Nathan Levin’s survivors regained the property through an auction.
  • November 1961 the partners of Colonial Investment Co, Harry A. Badt (who replaced Nathan Levin), Evans, Taube, Levin’s survivors, and their spouses sold 202 Q St NW, as part of a larger property package, to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • July 1970 the Basilikos, as part of a larger property package in doc #1970011877, sold the house to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • June 1980 the DC RLA transferred/sold 202 Q St and many other Truxton Circle properties to the BSA Limited Partnership, or as I suspect, the Bates Street Associates in document # 8000020294.

I’ll stop at the the BSA because it gets messy after that. So there is a foreclosure and it got sold to slum landlord George Basiliko. Then he, when Basiliko got in trouble for being a bad landlord, sold it to DC RLA who then turned around to hand it off to supreme f-ups BSA. ooh. I must be in a mood.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 1543 3rd 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.

photo of 1543 3rd St NW, Washington, DC
Anyone notice the sign for Kwame “Fully Loaded” Brown?

Let’s see what happens with 1543 3rd St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 1543 3rd NW to Pearl L. and William A. Nixon.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Nixons borrowed $3,375 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 1543 3rd St NW to Ms. Dorothy J. Snowden, a divorcee.
  • December 1950 Ms. Snowden borrowed $3,375 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • October 1961 the Nixons were released from their mortgage and owned their half free and clear.
  • May 1964 Ms. Snowden was released from her mortgage and owned her half free and clear.
  • December 1965 Ms. Snowden sold her half to George Basiliko….. sigh.
  • October 1977 Basiliko sold his half to Cathleen Marie Tate, Francine Louise,  and John Tate.
  • October 1977 the Tates borrowed $5,300 at 9% APR from trustees Leonard  C. Collins and John M. Swagart.
  • August 1990 the estate of Pearl L. Mullen and William J. Nixon sold the other half to Tates.

This was a decent one…. until Ms. Snowden sold her half to Geo. Basiliko. Both original buyers managed to pay off their loans within 10-13 years.

In the 1950 census husband and wife William and Pearl Nixon lived at 619 Q St. NW in the lower unit. William was an AfAm hospital janitor, his wife was a homemaker and they lived with 2 roomers. William married Pearl Lillian Garner in 1924 in Guilford, NC. By the 1930 census they were in Washington, DC living at 1416 New Jersey Ave NW with their 4 year old son William James Calvin Nixon. During World War II they lived at 1721 11th St NW.

Their neighbor Dorothy Jacqueline Wallace was born July 13, 1927 in Woodville, VA. At some point she married Bernard M. Snowden Jr. They had three sons and a daughter. She died in 1989 and it appears she managed to avoid several censuses.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 215 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 215 Bates St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 215 Bates NW to Sina E. Davis and Ernest F. Whitfield.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Davis and Whitfield borrowed $5,050 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • October 1955 Davis and Whitfield lost the home due to foreclosure. Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership of the property via an auction.
  • March 1959 new Colonial Investment Co. partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, the Nathan Levin survivors and their spouses, sold the house to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • July 1970 Sophia and George Basiliko, as part of a larger property package (doc #1970011877), sold 215 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • August 1979 the DC RLA sold/transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates Inc.

This sort of follows the pattern. It differs in that the whole house was sold as opposed splitting it in halves, as most of these houses were two flat properties. There was the foreclosure, then the sale to the Basilikos, the sale to DC RLA and then the transfer to the Bates Street Associates.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 219 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.photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 219 Bates St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 219 Bates NW to Alma L. and Andrew A. Simms.
  • January 1951 the Simms borrowed $2,525 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (Recorded 05/01/1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 219 Bates St NW to Ella B. and Richard H. Simms.
  • December 1950 Ella and Richard Simms borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • April 1954 Alma and Andrew Simms lost their half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube regained possession of the property via an auction.
  • June 1959 new Colonial Investments partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, the survivors of Nathan Levin and their spouses, as part of a large property package, sold 219 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • October 1960 the remaining Simms lost their half of the house to foreclosure. Badt, Evans and Taube regained ownership via an auction.
  • February 1961 Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold the remaining half to George Basiliko.
  • July 1970, as part of a larger property package (document 1970011877), Sophia and George Basiliko sold 219 Bates St NW to the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • August 1979, as part of a larger property package (document #7900028039), DC RLA sold/transferred the house to the Bates Street Associates Inc.

This house fits the unfortunate pattern. There were foreclosures, it went to the Basilikos, DC RLA and eventually the Bates Street Associates.

So with the two Simms households I had to figure out if and how these people were related. Andrew Augustus Simms born in La Plata, MD on December 1924, married Alma Lucy Moore June 30, 1942 in DC. Richard Hubert Simms was his younger brother born August 1927 in DC. Richard married Ella Elizabeth Butler in June of 1946.

Ella Elizabeth Simms
Ella Elizabeth Simms

So they were related. This seems to have made the story more tragic.