He had emigrated from Russia as a boy with his family, which stopped briefly in New York before settling down to run a grocery store at 24th and P streets NW. There are no events scheduled. But almost no one seems to doubt that Conrad is the main force behind it. Nor, apparently, is it for us to judge what her sons now want from a D.C. Superior Court judge: All three declined to beinterviewed. 'Their Financial Needs Are Adequately Provided For'. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. Money -- to be sure. An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. "The decanter always had to be full," Dowling says. . "He took me into the kitchen and showed me how the cook would leave coffee for him in the morning," remembers the friend. This suit asks the court to overturn her will, after which, under D.C. law, her property would be divided among her sons. Morris had one vision, and Gwendolyn another; whoever now gains control might offer still a third. Cafritzs grace, elegance, discernment, desire for excellence and commitment to making the most of every day and every situation will continue to inspire and motivate all who knew and loved him, his obituary reads. Morris Cafritz is remembered more for the quantity than for the aesthetic quality of his works. He never tired of committing himself to this mission, which only grew bigger with time. Then, in 1988, came the announcement that Conrad Cafritz, with Japanese partners, had bought Washington Harbour, the glitzy development below K Street in Georgetown that had been troubled from its opening; the original developer of Washington Harbour was Western. She retained the right to will awaythe remaining three-quarters, or $63 million, which sheleft to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. For now, the house is tended by at least two servants, who are listed in court documents as living there, and the grass is beautifully clipped, the pachysandra well-tended. Today, he is married to Peggy Cooper Cafritz, who is a local power in the arts and in liberal political causes -- and the only Cafritz listed in Who's Who. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation in December 1988 and since February 1989 had served as Board Chairman. In 1904, with a $1,400 loan from his father, he started out running a coal yard at Fourth and K streets NW, then a saloon near Fourth and O. Recognizably brothers, the youngest of them nearing his fifties, they were a striking presence at the party. With support from the Cafritz Foundation, the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership hosts a yearly awards gala to honor D.C. government employees who demonstrate outstanding public service. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. Washington, DC 20007 By 1915 he was known locally as "The Bowling King" but still restlessly sought an opportunity that would truly engage him. She carried her isolation to her grave. Decedent lacked sufficient capacity to, and did not, dispose of her property with judgment and understanding, considering the nature, character and extent of her estate.". "She was not, as they say, invited anywhere at the beginning," recalls Gore Vidal, whose novel Washington, D.C. includes a character "suggested," he says, by Gwendolyn Cafritz. The daughter of a Hungarian immunologist who had a role in devising the early Wasserman test to detect syphilis, Gwen Cafritz was the opposite of her husband. He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. Website by Red Clay Creative, Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. He was 91. Age: 91 years old Also known as: Mr Calvin Cafritz, Calvin Cafritz View Full Report Mobile number ADS View Current Number Landline number (202) 223-3100 Email addresses ccafritz@cafritzfoundation.org Relatives Calvin Cafritz Jane Cafritz Current address 1642 29th St NW, Washington, DC, 20007-2901 See more results for Calvin Cafritz What do the younger sons of the celebrated Washington hostess hope to gain by waging legal war over their mother's will? Ymelda Dixon, who covered many of her parties for the Evening Star, recalls, "They were great parties, because she had the means and the imagination. But she had a disconcertingly self-serious way of advertising it. "Right at the moment he could be most charming, he does something to undercut it," says one friend. He's truly out to make a big impact on the city, I think. It asks the court to rule that under Morris's will, which gave Gwendolyn the right to leave the trust to "such person or persons" as she wished, the foundation -- technically a corporation -- could not qualify to receive the trust. (Conrad and Peggy were both involved in Barry's first election campaign, and Peggy is the godmother of Barry's son, Christopher.) Several friends read this changeability as part of a larger ambivalence about whether he wants to be an insider or a maverick, heir to a famous tradition or the rebel who subverts it. Two and a half years later Gwendolyn Cafritz was dead of cancer, at 78, and the following summer -- three years after that final party -- her two younger sons filed suit in D.C. Superior Court to have her will overturned and her estate, worth at least $140 million, divided among her children. If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. The "Cafritz" in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program. . Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. The singers belonged to the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program (YAP), one of the opera world's most prestigious breeding grounds for the next generation of Pavarottis and Renee . We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. Rachel M. Ratowsky, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Her skin had an unhealthy, pouchy pallor; extending an uncertain hand, she had the air of a dreamer deploying remembered charms. All rights reserved. In 1971, he resigned from the company amid reports of conflict with his mother, and by the time she wrote a 1977 will, all three sons, including Calvin, had been dealt out of any inheritance. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 pm on December 2 at First Presbyterian Church of Richardson with David Schaefers officiating. "Getting along with her," says one developer who knows the family, "was something none of them ever mastered. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. Among the guests that June evening were her three sons, Calvin, Carter and Conrad. ", Conrad Cafritz is, in a word fondly used by friends, weird. In high school, for example, Conrad stood out even among his privileged classmates at St. Albans. As he stood by her chair, he could name at a glance quite a few of the guests -- Chief Justice and Mrs. Warren Burger . The mission of the foundation is improving the quality of life for all Washington, D.C., metropolitan-area residents, Boerstling said. It is easy to imagine that for a son of Morris Cafritz, watching great deals go unmade is a kind of hell. I just make speeches.". He is a leading supporter of the Global India Fund, and the Ukapav Indian-American Scholarship Foundation. . Mr. The foundation is Washington's largest source of private funds earmarked exclusively for local projects, large enough to give the person who controls it a potentially shaping influence on the city. The house was not so much well-tended as beautifully preserved, arrested in time; and the party duplicated the past in every anachronistic detail. A document filed in probate court says an initial inventory of her own property exceeded $90 million; however, inventories filed with her will account only for a little more than $80 million. In his later years he established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Devoted father to Laurence (Sherri) Cafritz and Jodi (Mark Bronsky) Cafr Click here for full story from WTOP and the Washington Business Journal. ", As is often true when the secretive disease of alcoholism is combined with the see-no-evil sociability of Washington, Gwendolyn's problem was rarely recognized. After college and military service, he rejoined the firm in 1956 and served in various positions, until the death of his father in 1964 when he became President of Cafritz Company, Cafritz Construction Company, and Ambassador, Inc. During his tenure, the companies developed, constructed, and leased a number of additional office buildings in Washington's central business district. When he died, his estate would be the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia; it would take teams of lawyers and IRS agents four years to settle the estate, finally valued in 1968 at $66 million. To Edward R. Murrow, in a 1956 interview, she said that to speak of Washington cocktail parties was "unfair to Washington. Calvin Cafritz Death - Calvin Cafritz, a real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist in the District of Columbia, passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via the. The complaint further asserts that "when Decedent allegedly executed the purported Will and Codicil that have been offered for probate herein, Decedent lacked a sound and disposing mind and was not capable of executing a valid deed or contract. But Conrad has rolled out impressive legal artillery, captained by former White House counsel Lloyd N. Cutler, and seems prepared to dig in for a long siege -- at least long enough, perhaps, to wring a settlement from his opponents. She left $25,000 to a favorite former escort, a Brazilian former employee of the Inter-American Development Bank who now lives in Rio de Janeiro. You have funeral questions, we have answers. Rogers had served as her personal attorney since her husband, Washington real estate magnate Morris Cafritz, died in 1964. Morris grew up working in the store, stalking the Maine Avenue wharf for the freshest fish sold there and learning to love the adolescent city he saw around him. Conrad's ex-wife, former D.C. School Board Chairwoman Peggy Cooper Cafritz, recently resurfaced after her art-filled home was destroyed in a fire last year. But Carter and Conrad Cafritz are not named in their mother's will. Small grants went to 15 more Jewish charities, and the rest to such local charities as boys clubs and hospital funds. The D.C. community is better for his engagement and we will miss him terribly.. ", Interviews suggest the sons will not lack for evidence to support their argument. "She was a classic case," summarizes Vidal. The only thing worse might be to watch deals go on without him: Along with becoming chairman of the foundation, Calvin Cafritz has taken the helm of the old Cafritz Co., andis reportedly trying to bring it tonew life. There are hints too that he has social ambitions on Gwendolyn's scale, if not exactly of her type. . There he built the massive River House apartments; his estate eventually sold most of the land for others to develop. The Cafritz Foundation is also a longtime supporter of GWs Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died . "That black sense of humor asserts itself, or he'll do something outrageous." He was 91 at the time he died. He was for years the president of the Jewish Community Center and donated the land for its first headquarters on Q Street NW. At seated dinners for 22, she entertained ambassadors and justices, senators and Cabinet secretaries. Special Neighborhood Hang Out: Say Cheese! "I think he went along," says a longtime business associate, Irwin Altman. . Perhaps one day Calvin, or Conrad, or some Cafritz now unknown, will find a way to bring together the opposite forms of ambition that thrived in this house, and give a second start to the dynasty that never was. January 27, 2023. The most famous of these was the Cafritz Building, at 1625 I; ballyhooed in 1950 as the first "park-at-your-desk" building, it had ramps rising 10 stories at the building's core. The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is already, with its more than $220 million in assets, the largest source of private funds earmarked for the District of Columbia. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. But he reached outside that circle when he finally married. Calvin's younger brothers, Conrad and Carter, are behind-the- scenes players in many business and charitable ventures players. For better or worse, he is the son who has tried to live out both their ambitions -- to build on a scale that will make an impact on the city, and to develop a persona that will make him an actor in the capital. CALVIN FRITZ OBITUARY Wyoming - Calvin "Roger" Fritz, 69, of Wyoming, passed away at 5:29 p.m. Friday, December 24, 2021 at his home. In 2001, the Cafritz Foundation gave $1 million toward the Cafritz Conference Center in the University Student Center. Each is in his second marriage; each is in some way involved in the arts. But Gwendolyn sometimes took pains to tell friends that she herself was not Jewish. And it is over the foundation, established to memorialize the name and works of the Cafritz family, that the Cafritz family is now at war. "Decedent's condition deteriorated after the death of her husband in 1964 and grew worse in the following years. ", She gave only two parties in the last 15 years of her life -- one in 1978, her first in five years, and the final party in 1986. And in the two decades of her advocacy, she has established a high profile -- and raised a lot of hackles among the old guard that runs most of the city's major cultural institutions. Conrad and Carter Cafritz are pursuing this stake in two ways: One is a lawsuit naming all her beneficiaries and her executors -- William P. Rogers, Martin Atlas and Riggs National Bank. But maybe they just don't want Gwen Cafritz to have the last word. ", Conrad and Carter Cafritz have chosen instead the purgatory of probate court, where their complaints suggest less lovely memories. In July 1993, he was elected President and CEO of the Foundation and in the last six months became Chairman Emeritus. (202) 338-4833, Georgetown Media Group. "When I heard about it, I wrote Conrad and told him I thought it was a horrible thing he and his brother were doing to his mother," says Dorothy L. Casey, a retired secretary who worked for the Cafritz Co. for decades, reflecting a widespread tendency to speak of Carter as his brother's satellite. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. His mother, Gwendolyn, one of Washington's leading hostesses in the post-World War II years, was President of the Foundation from 1964 to 1988. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. I hope they will. Cafritz was a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC. Yet Morris made little impression on Gwendolyn's social world, and she often went out or took vacations alone. The George Washington University community is remembering the life of Calvin Cafritz, a businessman, philanthropist and longtime supporter of GW. As you draw close to the famous burgundy front door, with its surrounding marble, you can see that the paint is cracking and fading to pink; and greenish stains from metal window fixtures are starting to weep down the white brick walls. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a33c63ad631098ddb002d9da023fc09f" );document.getElementById("gab125c3ec").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In the 1400 block of Spring Road NW is a row of seven almost identical walk-up apartment buildings. We hoped to let the public know about these outstanding individuals and to send a message to other excellent government employees that their dedication and considerable accomplishments are valued." Between 1925 and 1941, Cafritz built more than 85 apartment houses, including 15 large luxury buildings, such as the Majestic and the Hightowers on 16th Street NW and the Westchester on Cathedral Avenue NW. Services Guestbook Condolences. The Morris and. "Jews in general just didn't figure. It was an invitation to stroll around the house and remember: When Gwen Cafritz, with her 19-inch waist and Balmain gowns, her raven hair and regal air, had won constant publicity for her parties -- 22 to dinner, with toasts over champagne, and enormous receptions like this one each spring and fall. One quarter to be divided among his sons, in trusts they would inherit outright at age 35. Mr. Cafritz was married previously two times; his first wife was Enid Cafritz and his second wife was Joyce Smith. Influence over the city's future -- no doubt. "I used to call up the house and get her maid, and her maid would talk to me about her, and say that she was completely worn out and simply couldn't get up and get herself ready to go on the warpath," says socialite Polly Logan. The majority of this property was already owned by the Cafritz Foundation, but Gwendolyn was partial owner of many of the buildings; even a limited power to control their disposition would presumably attract men with ambitions in Washington real estate. Meanwhile, for as long as it takes, Conrad's childhood home turns a sleeping face to Foxhall Road, drapes drawn at all the windows. ", She kept up appearances even in the privacy of her home, where she drank Scotch from a decanter in the living room. All rights reserved. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. "Conrad was persistent as hell in getting that project," says one person familiar with Conrad's business. Cafritz started by investing in real estate, and was always ready to make a prescient purchase, but his true passion was construction. All Rights Reserved. The George Washington University community is remembering the life of Calvin Cafritz, a businessman, philanthropist and longtime supporter of GW. He was the eldest son of real estate titan Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. But the fourth square in the plot remains empty; Gwendolyn Cafritz was memorialized in a Presbyterian church and had herself buried far north in Rockville's Parklawn Cemetery, among strangers. Carter Cafritz, who sits on the board of WETA, began his career in partnership with Conrad, building apartments and town houses in and around the city. To one interviewer she said that art was "the theme, you might say" of her life, "as in a Wagnerian opera." He was 91. Of the $54 million the foundation has given away since 1970, $32 million has gone to the arts and humanities, almost $9 million to community services, $8 million to education and almost $5 million to health. "I know Atlas hates publicity like poison," says Raymond Carter, a former Cafritz Co. vice president. In 1962, when it was the product of Morris Cafritz's vision, the largest grants went to the United Jewish Appeal and the Community Chest Federation. She was born January 30, 1936 in Kennett, MO to the late David Richard Roberts and Betty Burbank Roberts. She is survived by her daughter Jane Cafritz (Calvin) of Washington, DC, five grandchildren: James Speyer, Irina Rubenstein and . Says a friend, "He thinks they're a lot of fuddy-duddies living in the 17th century." Mr. Cafritz said that the awards are designed to "shine a light on the contributions of extraordinary government employees. Betty Lou Roberts Colvin, age 84 of Warren, AR passed away November 5, 2020 at Chapel Woods Nursing Home in Warren, AR. Cafritz Calvin Cafritz Washington developer and one of the region's leading philanthropists, died Thursday morning, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital, in Washington, DC. "He just wanted to build, build, build, build!" For the sons of Gwendolyn Cafritz, to accept her last will and testament would be to allow her, in more than one sense, the last word. But its true targets are two longtime advisers who are executors of her estate: Martin Atlas, for decades the closest business associate of both Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz, and William P. Rogers, the former attorney general and secretary of state who was Gwendolyn's personal attorney. [2] He is buried in the Washington Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, Washington, D.C. Philanthropy [ edit] Today, Calvin is foundation chairman. There is no photo or video of Calvin Cafritz.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. ", High culture was one of her chosen routes to acceptance. ", Her drinking got out of control, he agrees, shortly after Morris Cafritz's sudden death of a heart attack in 1964. ", While she cultivated the mighty, Morris looked closer to home, helping to found the Washington Community Chest, becoming an activist in local Jewish groups. His faith was great enough to lead him into investments that would later seem visionary: He developed the Temple Heights tract at Connecticut and Florida, for example, buying the land in 1945 with developer Charles H. Tompkins and sitting on it for 12 years before selling the northern part for development of the Washington Hilton, and building the two Universal Buildings on the southern part of the site. "She wanted something, and she put up with a lot of {expletive}, and she got it. Mr. Cafritz recognized and championed this work, and its success is a part of his inspiring legacy., Throughout the years, he gave feedback constructively and in a helpful manner, said Jim Robinson, executive director of GW CEPL. The holdings also include a major share of the two Universal buildings at Connecticut and Florida avenues NW, and shares of the massive River House apartment buildings in Pentagon City. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz. There is, for example, the very palpable legacy of real estate developed by Morris Cafritz, including several lots and office buildings downtown. Under the terms of an old agreement, each of the sons will automatically receive $7 million, tax-free, in recompense for having forfeited, in the late '60s, some money from a different trust. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to a charity of your choice. Once it was built, he wasn't interested in it.". The Cafritz Foundation was one of the biggest in the D.C. area, with over $400 million in assets and around $65 million in annual revenue and expenses, according to The Washington Business Journal. Funeral arrangement under the care ofSAGEL BLOOMFIELD DANZANSKY GOLDBERG FUNERAL CARE INC. Your email address will not be published. "I've just bought 100 acres of downtown Washington," he was fond of saying. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Calvin, 58, who finds himself a defendant in this lawsuit, is usually described as gentlemanly, methodical and reserved. Waiters passed shrimp with cocktail sauce, while full bars offered prehistoric spirits such as bourbon and gin, defiant holdouts in the age of chardonnay and bottled water. The longtime GW supporter had a unique relationship with the university and the city of Washington, D.C. Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service, GW is committed to digital accessibility. These two, according to the complaint by Carter and Conrad Cafritz, "exerted undue influence" in Gwendolyn's decision to leave her entire estate to the foundation, of which they are both trustees. In real estate, especially within the constricting borders of D.C., power isn't limited to those who own the land; controlling the land can be almost as good. They keep china and glassware sufficient to serve hundreds. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. Its annual reports list a fairly traditional, staid set of beneficiaries, and its grants are studied by an advisory board heavily weighted toward the kind of high-profile, high-society arts philanthropy that Gwendolyn favored: Among the members are National Gallery of Art Director J. Carter Brown, retired Smithsonian secretary S. Dillon Ripley and retired librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin, as well Carolyn Deaver, wife of former White House deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver, and a social friend of Gwendolyn's, Mrs. Tazewell Shepard. In 1929 he also built the since-demolished Ambassador Hotel, at 14th and K streets NW, where he and his family lived until 1938. The judge's decision, though in favor of Conrad and Carter Cafritz, is of little. sales@governmentexecutiveconsultingservices.com, Copyright 2022 Government Executive Consulting Services. Then there is the foundation itself, with its powerful endowment for the city. When she drafted her third and last will in 1981, she wrote a final clause that reads almost like an afterthought, but resounds in the lawsuit now underway: "It is my wish that our descendents {sic} shall maintain an interest in the affairs of THE MORRIS AND GWENDOLYN CAFRITZ FOUNDATION and its philanthropic purposes and I desire that, following my death, CALVIN CAFRITZ be elected to serve on the board of the Foundation.". Dean Liesl Riddle of the GW College of Professional Studies (CPS), where GW CEPL has been housed since 2005, said, Our college was launched to make an economic and social impact through innovative professional programs that cultivate talent for employers and propel students careers forward. His father, Morris, established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and . Calvin Cafritz Washington developer and one of the region's leading philanthropists, died Thursday morning, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital, in Washington, DC. "Maybe we try a little harder because our family name is well-known," he told a reporter in 1965. To plant trees in memory, please visit the. For one thing, he has a dark, avowedly cynical sense of humor. The foundation, among Greater Washingtons largest with more than $400 million in assets and some $65 million in annual revenue and expenses, according to its most recent Form 990, is expected to issue a formal statement in the coming days. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Was believed to be 102. Old press notices, written in the uncritical fashion of the day, recount her summers in Monte Carlo; her typical day in Washington (beginning with a ride in her limousine -- license number 2301, to match her address -- to the Supreme Court or the Capitol, to take in a decision or an interesting hearing); her winter trips to Palm Beach; her shopping trips in Paris; her ladies lunches at the Mayflower Hotel. He also has three children, five grandchildren and three stepchildren. There are also real estate assets at Arlingtons 3701 N. Fairfax Drive, which is the former home of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The entire time, he fought with gloves off, publicly charging his rivals with bad faith. His commitment to causes and institutions extended beyond writing checks to giving time and energy. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a distinguished Washington lawyer, whom he married on June 1, 2000. Through his dedication to the Foundation and his beloved Washington, DC community, Mr. Cafritz was deeply committed to building a more just and beautiful region with access to opportunities for all. After their marriage in 1981, Conrad and Peggy bought Sen. Stuart Symington's house in the Foxhall Road area, studied it for a while, then tore it down to build a new house. Home Here, beyond the threshold, was the stunning circular entrance hall, dramatic enough to live up to the woman who once swept down the stairs to greet her guests. But they also sort of outraged people." She appears every week on the WETA-TV arts show "Around Town." In Memoriam: Calvin Cafritz. And given the life she had lived and the kind of friends she had cultivated, few people were close enough to her to understand why. She was multilingual and had studied art history at the University of Budapest. Of the three sons, Calvin seems to have had the best relationship with his mother. 5.8K. 91. Mild, self-effacing, decorous, humble, and unfailingly courteous, Mr. Cafritz led by example and always with a smile. But it has that air of a property just turning past ripeness, toward seed. Calvins brother Carter passed away in 2019. It charges that Rogers and Atlas "exerted undue influence" on her decision to leave all her money to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and that Gwendolyn herself "lacked testamentary capacity," meaning that she was incapable of writing her will. Would you like to offer Calvin Cafritzs loved ones a condolence message? Gwen Cafritz and her chief rival, Perle Mesta, were in fact the first of a new breed -- celebrity hostesses who openly courted the press and saw no shame in self-promotion. The control of so much money, especially in a city with limited corporate philanthropy, brings enormous power.
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