WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 216 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 216 Q St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 216 Q NW to Flora M. and James L. Fisher.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Fishers borrowed $3,275 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 1951) Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 216 Q St NW to Catherine R. West.
  • Dec 1951 Mrs. West borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1962 the Fishers were released from their mortgage and owned their half free and clear.
  • August 1962 Ms. West was released from her mortgage.
  • July 1967, for some reason, E. M. Bros (an early lender) lost their interest, along with Evans, Levin and Taube to foreclosure and via an auction whatever part of the property they owned transferred to Ms. West. She then borrowed $1,200 from trustees Levin & Weightman.

Nothing more happens until the 1980s when Ms. West sells. I don’t know what happened to the Fishers and their half. For this house they kind of disappear after their release.

I looked up Mrs. Fisher, February 1962 she bought 5154 South Dakota Ave NE with Jeanna LaVerne Farr. Looking up James L. Fisher, he was involved in more real estate ventures than I care to count, but appears 216 Q was the start of his (and maybe his wife’s) property empire.

I am not sure about the July 1967 incident and what that was all about.

What I can say was this seemed to have worked out for the parties involved.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 226 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 226 Q St NW:

  • January 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 226 Q NW to Harold B. Fitzgerald.
  •  Jan 1951 Fitzgerald borrowed $3,275 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 226 Q St NW to Mattie L. and William Morgan.
  • Jan 1951 the Morgans borrowed $3,275 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • May 1951 Fitzgerald sold his half to Sarah E. and Rufus J. Jones.
  • October 1962 Fitzgerald (now the Jones) was released from his mortgage, owning that half free and clear.
  • February 1964 the Morgans were released from their mortgage.
  • March 1967 the widow Mattie Morgan sold her half to Eneas J. and Katherine R. Whelan.
  • February 1977, the heirs of Eneas Whelan sold the half of 226 Q St NW to Robert W. Ayers I & II.
  • September 1980 the property somehow got caught up in the Bates Street Associates net. (See doc #8000029035)
  • April 1987 the Ayers sold their half to Sarah Jones, bringing the property under one owner.

I’ll leave it there in a good space. No foreclosures. People were able to pass down things to a slew of family members who quickly turn around and sell it. It’s probably best to ignore the Bates Street Associates thing.

Truxton Circle WSIC Wardmans

If I had good sense I would not write this.

I hope I am providing a good warning to my friends who live in TC WSIC housing. I am not for historic districts (I can be agnostic about landmarks) and I am very aware how my research can be used to create these things. Anywho, there are Truxton Circle Wardmans as highlighted by the site Wardman’s Washington. However, I am just going to look at the WSIC TC Wardmans.

photo of property47 Bates Street NW (2 Stories brick dwelling) —Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 7/16/1901
49 Bates Street NW (2 Stories brick dwelling) —Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 7/16/1901
51 Bates Street NW (2 Stories brick dwelling) —Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 7/16/1901
53 Bates Street NW (2 Stories brick dwelling) —Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 7/16/1901
94 Bates Street NW (2 Stories brick dwelling)— Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 9/10/1901
14 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
16 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
18 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
20 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
22 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
24 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
26 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
28 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
30 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
32 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
34 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
36 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
38 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
40 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901
42 O Street NW (2 Stories brick flat) — Architect: Bayliss, Mr. Permit Date: 5/31/1901

The architect was a Mr. Bayliss. So I went looking to see if I could narrow it down to which Bayliss in Washington, DC may have been the architect. I’m guessing it was William Bayliss.

In the 1900 census there was a William Bayliss at 1410 9th St NW whose occupation was listed as “Architect Govt”. Good enough for me. There were other Bayliss men working in DC, a R. inspector, a shoe store salesman, and the like. But so far only one an architect. I looked at the 1902 city directory (the 1900 directory didn’t have occupations) Major W. Bayliss at 1410 9th St NW was a draftsman.

A little digging showed that William Bayliss died in 1919 so I hoped his obit would tell me something useful. Nope. I did locate him in the 1914 Blue Book, a social directory, page 74 reads thus:

Bayliss, Major William, architect and government official of Washington, D.C., was born Nov. 8, 1848, in Canada. Since 1882 he has been superintendent of hospital construction in the office of the surgeon-general of the army.

I’m 80% sure this is the guy.

 

 

 

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 212 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 212 Q St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 212 Q St NW to Anna L. and Blanton J. Bell.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) the Bells borrowed $3,125 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • December 1950 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 212 Q St NW to Miss Dorothy M. Bowles.
  • December 1950 Ms. Bowled borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • March 1961 Ms. Bowles was released from her mortgage and owned her half free and clear.
  • May 1962 the Bells were released from their mortgage and owned their half free and clear.
  • November 1971 Mr. Bell’s name was removed from the deed.
  • June 1980, for some mysterious reason, BSA (Bates Street Associates) Limited Partnership and partners Lawrence J. Brailsford (spelled Brailsforfd) , George (spelled Geroge) Holmes Jr. and Jack W. White took out a 1/2 million dollar mortgage with the John Hanson Savings & Loan using 212 Q St NW and two other properties as collateral.
  • April 1984 the DC Board for the Condemnation of Insanitary Buildings mailed a letter to Ms. Bell and Ms. Bowles at 1618 North Capitol St NW to condemn their property.
  • November 1984 Mrs. Bowles, a widow and Ms. Bell sold 212 Q to the DC government.
  • March 1985 the DC government sold the property to MANNA, Inc.

I will leave it there.  So it was a sort of good ending, except for the condemnation.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 204 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 204 Q St NW:

  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 204 Q NW to Margaret C. Dickson.
  • December 1950 (recorded Jan 18, 1951) Mrs. Dickson borrowed $3,125 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • January 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 204 Q St NW to Margaret E. Stewart.
  • Jan 1951 Mrs. Steward borrowed $3,275 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • April 1957 Mary Dickson, her sister Elsie Dickson, Edward, Garfield and Herbert Dickson, her brothers sold Margaret Dickson’s half to P.D Witherspoon
  • March 1958 the Dickson property was foreclosed and via an auction it returned to the portfolio of Colonial Investment Co owners Evans. Taube and new partner Harry A. Badt.
  • November 1961, as part of a larger property package, Badt, Evans, Taube, their wives, and Nathan Levin’s survivors sold part of the property to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • March 1962 Margaret E. Stewart was released from her mortgage.
  • January 1963 Mrs. Stewart and the Basilikos sold the property to the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA).
  • August 1979 (or thereabouts) the DC RLA transferred the property to the Bates Street Associates Inc.

So in conclusion, there was a foreclosure and the property did get sold to slum landlord George Basiliko. But on the plus one person managed to own the property free and clear. I feel bad for P.D. Witherspoon.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 42 O 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.40-O-St-NW-WDC-20001

I’ve previously touched on this before, but let’s see what happens with 42 O St NW:

  • February 1951 Evans, Levin and Taube sold one-half of 42 O St NW to Mildred H. Stitt, William E. and wife, Eva M. Hall.
  • Feb 1951 Stitt and the Halls borrowed $3,125 from Colonial Investment Co. favorite trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • February 1951 Evans, Levin, and Taube sold the other half of 42 O St NW to Lewis Jordan.
  • Feb 1951 Jordan borrowed $3,125 from trustees Abraham H. Levin and Robert G. Weightman.
  • April 1951 Jordan sold/transferred his half to Maurice Tilghman.
  • September 1959 Jordan, and by extension Tilghman, lost their half to foreclosure. Via an auction Colonial Investment partners Evans, Taube and new partner Harry A. Badt regained possession of that half of 42 O St NW.
  • September 1959, as part of a property package, Harry A. and wife Jennie Badt, sold/transferred some of their ownership of 42 O St NW to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
  • June 1959 (recorded 2/29/1960) Badt, Evans, Taube, the Nathan Levin survivors and their spouses, sold 42 O St NW to Sophia and George Basiliko.
  • April 1960 Stitt and the Halls lost their half of the property to foreclosure and Badt, Evans and Taube got it back via an auction.
  • April 1960 as part of a property package, Harry A. and wife Jennie Badt, sold/transferred their ownership of 42 O St NW to the survivors of Nathan Levin.
  • August 1960 Evans, Taube, Levin’s survivors and their spouses sold the remaining half to George Basiliko.
  • July 1971 it appears Sophia and George Basiliko sold the property to the Housing System Development and Construction Corp.
  • April 1978 George Basiliko Inc sold 42 O Street NW to the O Street Properties Partnership.

I’ll end it there. So there are foreclosures and it was sold to George Basiliko. The sad thing was the 1960 foreclosure, so close but no cigar.

WSIC- Related 118 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.

So I am looking at WSIC houses on the blocks between North Capitol, 3rd, Q and P Streets. Sometimes neighboring homes that are not WSIC homes get caught in the net like dolphins in tuna nets. This is one of them. I’m going to give it the WSIC treatment anyway.photo of property

The land records I can find on the Recorder of Deed’s site for 118 Q St NW starts in the 1940s. So lets start there:

  • March 1941 James I. and Mildred F. Medley sold 118 Q St NW (lots 26, 813 & 814) to Hubert R. Quinter and sister in law Mary B. Zetelle.
  • January 1946 Mary B. Zetelle, Mr. & Mrs. Gladys Z. and Hubert R. Quinter transferred several properties through Nannie D. Carr to remove Mary Zetelle’s name from the deed.
  • January 1961 Gladys Z. and Hubbert R. Quinter sold two lots 813 & 814 to Mercedes B. and Norman F. Manders.
  • Jan 1961 the Manders borrowed $3,500 from trustees William S. Green and Arthur J. Sherwin.
  • September 1963 the Manders borrowed $7,000 from the National Bank of Washington.
  • December 1963 the Manders were released from their Jan 1961 loan.
  • October 1964 the Manders sold lots 813 & 814 to the Diamond Housing Corporation.

I’ll leave it with the Diamond Housing Corp. because it appears to have either sold to another company or renamed itself. The paperwork doesn’t provide a clue if or when this happened.

Let’s look at the people who owned 116 & 118 Q St NW. Isabelle Mercedes (nee Barry) Manders was born a White DC native in 1926. She had a Catholic education, attending the Sacred Heart Academy and then Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross (check out their history 1910-1959). In 1948 she married Norman Francis Manders at Nativity Catholic Church in Brightwood. Norman was also a DC native born in 1927. When he married Mercedes, he was a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy. In the 1950 census the couple lived at 935 Kennedy St NW, Apt 202 with their infant daughter. At that time, Norman was working as a painter and paperhanger (wallpaper dude) and Mercedes was a dance instructor. In the 1954 city directory the family was at 1715 Oglethorpe NW and Norman operated his own decorating business. The couple eventually had 5 children, later lived in Potomac, MD, retired to Florida and had over a dozen grandchildren. I doubt they lived in Truxton Circle.

Looking at Mary B. (nee Wallace) Zetelle and the 1910 census, she lived at 3101 14th St NW with her husband Antonio, step daughter (?) Gladys Magruder. However, in Gladys’ 1913 wedding announcement to Hubert Quinter, she is listed as a niece. The Delaware marriage record has her parents as Daniel and Blanche Wallace.  Hubbert Roger Quinter was born in 1890 in DC. In the 1920 census the couple lived at the 16th Street South Brook Apt House with their two year old daughter. At the time Hubbert was an insurance agent. In 1930 the family lived at and owned 3228 Woodley Rd NW. Living with the little family was Gladys’ aunt, Mary. They lived next door (3232 Woodley) to Hubbert’s brother William K. Quinter, a “well known District Bar member” and lawyer. By the second World War they moved to Chevy Chase, MD. Hubbert was still in the Insurance business but this time working for a Real Estate firm. Mr. and Mrs. Quinter lived with their married daughter, their granddaughter and two African American servants. In the 1950 census, the family moved back to DC living at 4801 Connecticut Ave NW. At this point Hubbert was president of the Real Estate Mortgage and Guaranty Co. and noted for being an associate of Harry Wardman.  He died of a heart attack at Georgetown Hospital in 1961.

Edit- 12/1/24- added that Isabelle Manders was white. I forget to add the race of the people when they aren’t African American. I also forget to add it when they are Black too.

WSIC- Related- 116 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.

Yet some nearby houses like 116 Q St NW looked like they might have been WSIC. Looking at the land records, this house is not.photo of property

The records for lot 814 go back to 1941, but the recorder of deeds go back to the 1920s. One of the owners name on the 1941 document is James I. Medley. Using that name, records from 1927 to 1939 were located for lot 26.

1919 Baist Map. Portion of Sq. 552
  • January 1927 William Adams sold lot 26 to James I. Medley.
  • February 1927 Dewey Washington sold lot 26 to James I. Medley.
  • March 1927 James and Mildred F. Medley borrowed $4,500 from trustees C. Frances Owens and Eugene A. Smith.

In 1927 James Medley purchased several lot 26 portions, particularly from the Nash family. They also took out a loan but none I can attach particularly to 116 Q St NW.

  • March 1941 the Medleys sold lots 813 & 814 to Hubbert R. Quinter and sister in-law Mary B. Zetelle.
  • January 1946 Hubbert and Gladys Z. Quinter and Mary Zetelle transferred several properties, including 814 to Nannie D. Carr. Carr transferred it back to the Quinters.
  • January 1961 the Quinters sold lots 813 & 814 to Mercedes B. and Norman F. Manders.
  • January 1961 the Manders borrowed $7,000 from trustees Williams S. Green and Arthur J. Sherwin.
  • October 1964 the Manders sold lots 813 and 814 to the Diamond Housing Corporation. The Diamond Housing Corp. borrowed $8,500 from the Franklin Federal Savings and Loan Association.
  • March 1965 the Manders were released from their January 1961 loan.

I’m deciding to end it there.

Edit 11/26/2024- changed Mary from sister in law to general in-law. She may have been Gladys’ aunt but I am not sure.

WSIC Related House- 127 Bates Street NW

So I thought this was a WSIC house. It wasn’t built as one.photo of propertyFrom the picture above of 127 Bates from 2004, the lot number is 0821.

Cool.

Whelp. The record for that lot goes back to 2013. So to the 1919 map

1919 map from Library of Congress
1919 Baist Map of section of Square 552

127 Bates Street NW appears to have been Lot 804. The record for that lot end in 1929.

Mmmkay. So the alternative lot number is 25, but that covers a lot that stretches from Q St to Bates. And there was a lot going on with lot 25, but I am going to follow Frank and Frances Hild who owned lot 804. In 1928 they sold to Leon S. Oppenheimer and Elmer B. Young. But Oppenheimer and Young also bought portions of lot 25 from Consiglia and Frank Frazzano. And it remains confusing and messy.

Then I jump to the 1950s and the Washington Sanitary Improvement Co buyers Nathaniel J. Taube, Nathan Levin and James B. Evans of the Colonial Investment Co. They are selling lot 805, which is 125 Bates; lot 811 which is on Q St; lot 819 & 820 which appears to also be 125 Bates.

Working from the other end, the earlier name attached to lot 821 is Dorothy L. Clemons, she seems to have owned 127 from 1981-2014. A 1981 financing statement has 127 Bates associated with lots 819 and 782. We never see lot 782 again. Clemons purchased 127 Bates, as lots 819 & 820, from the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership. The Bates Street Assoc. Ltd. got the property from the Dc Redevelopment Land Agency.

The title information is a little messy. What I can tell is that it was owned by the Colonial Investment Co., DC RLA and the Bates Street Associates.

WSIC-1950 Sell Off- 129 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). photo of property

Let’s see what happens with 129 Bates St NW:

1919 Baist Map. Portion of Sq. 552

Well. When I look at lot 822 I don’t see anything that goes back to the 1950s. When I look at a 1919 map and see that it is lot 803. I don’t see anything past 1931.

The name associated with the property in 1931 are Beatrice W. and Leon S. Oppenheimer and Elmer B. Young. They sold it to General Realties Inc. And they sold it to the Washington Loan and Trust Company on behalf of the Washington Sanitary Improvement Company (WSIC). WSIC then sold to Evans, Levin and Taube.

I see sales of 1/4 of lots 819 and 820, which is lot 805, now 822. But I can’t narrow  So let’s go backwards. Start with lot 822 and trace it to Delores S. McDaniels who was the first person to own lot 822 in the system. Her ownership ranges from 1981-2006 and the records show lots 25, 820, and 822. In 1981 she got the property from the Bates Street Associates Limited Partnership. That hints that it may have been owned by slum landlord George Basiliko and maybe the DC RLA.

So let’s look back at lots 819 and 820. A 1971 condemnation order has those combined lots for 129 Bates St NW. The problem I have associating those combined lots with 129 Bates is that I see 1/4th portions, which makes sense for 125 Bates Street which is currently the four unit Truxton Condominium. Also 125 Bates is in the right spot, west of 123 Bates which is lot 818.

The titles are too messy for me to do a decent tracking for this address. I give up.