Category: Truxton 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. 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 201 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 201 Bates NW to Charles J. and Elizabeth J. Dickerson.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Dickersons borrowed $2,775 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 201 Bates St NW to David L. and Mabel J. Snipes.
• Dec 1950 the Snipes borrowed $2,775 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• August 1952 the Dickersons lost their half to foreclosure. Through an auction Evans, Levin and Taube repossessed the property.
• September 1952 Evans, Levin and Taube resold the foreclosed half to Ernestine Johnson, a widow.
• Sept 1952 Mrs. Johnson borrowed $3,647.07 from Levin and Weightman.
• August 1954 Mrs. Johnson lost her half to foreclosure. half to foreclosure. Through an auction Evans, Levin and Taube repossessed the property.
• November 1961, in a large property package (doc 1962000416), new Colonial partner Harry A. Badt, Evans, Taube, Nathan Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold 201 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• September 1962 the Snipes sold their half to George Basiliko bringing it under one owner.
• July 1970, as part of a larger property package (document 1970011877), George Basiko sold 201 Bates St NW to the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
• 1978-ish the property was sold/transferred to Bates Street Associates, Inc (BSA).

There were two foreclosures for the same half of the house. The property eventually fell under the ownership of George Basiliko who then sold it to the RLA, which then passed it on to the BSA.

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 205 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 205 Bates St NW to Calvin A. and Gladys C. Addison.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Addisons 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 205 Bates St NW to Bertha Bell, a widow, and Rosie L. Fincher, a divorcee.
• Dec 1950 Bell & Fincher borrowed $2,525 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• July 1954 Bell & Fincher lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to the ownership of Evans, Levin and Taube.
• August 1954 the Addisons lost their half to foreclosure and via an auction it returned to the ownership of Evans, Levin and Taube.
• March 1959, as part of a larger property package, Evans, the survivors of the late Nathan Levin, Taube and their spouses sold 205 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• July 1970, in document 1970011877, Sophia and George Basiliko sold this and other Truxton Circle properties the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
• Prob. 1979-1980 as there is no documentation, it appears DC RLA sold/ transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates (BSA) Limited Partnership.
• December 1982 the BSA sold the property back to the government of the District of Columbia.

This fits the pattern. There is not just one but two foreclosures of both halves, which are then sold to George Basiliko, who later sells to DC RLA, who then passes it on to BSA who then sells it back to DC.

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 209 Bates St NW:

• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold the whole of 209 Bates NW to Blanche L. and Willie J. Kinney.
• December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Kinneys borrowed $5,050 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• November 1952 the Kinneys sold half of the property back to Evans, Levin, and Taube. They refinanced their mortgage with two docs, so they had a new mortgage of $2,646.39.
• February 1953 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the other half to Joseph and Mattie Lee Barnes.
• Feb 1953 the Barnes borrowed $2,776.75 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
• February 1954 the Kinneys lost their half to foreclosure and Evans, Levin and Taube regained ownership of that half via an auction.
• March 1954 Evans, Levin and Taube sold the foreclosed half to Julia Corbett, a widow.
• March 1954 Mrs. Corbett borrowed $3,170.21 from Levin and Weightman.
• May 1956 the Barnes sold their half back to the Colonial Investment Co partners, Harry A. Badt who replaced Levin who died, Taube, and Evans. The Barnes were released from their mortgage in 1962.
• June 1959 Badt, Evans, Taube, the Nathan Levin survivors and their spouses, sold several properties, including 209 Bates to Sophia and George Basiliko.
• October 1971 the Basilikos and Mrs. Corbett sold 209 Bates to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency for $12,000.
• 1979-1980? the property was transferred/sold to the Bates Street Associates (BSA) Limited Partnership.

I’ll stop there because the documentation gets insanely complicated after that. It fits the pattern. There was one foreclosure (and to sell backs) and it wound up in the hands of George Basiliko, who then passed it on to DC RLA who then passed it on to BSA.

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 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.