[2] He is buried in the Washington Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, Washington, D.C. Philanthropy [ edit] The suit was filed by the middle and youngest Cafritz sons, Carter, 53, and Conrad, 51. ", The Cafritzes slept in separate bedrooms, Morris rising at dawn to get to the office. In July 1993, he was elected President and CEO of the Foundation and in the last six months became Chairman Emeritus. They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. His most notable contribution was in the streamlined art deco apartment houses designed, either singly or together, by architects Alvin L. Aubinoe and Harry L. Edwards, including the Majestic, the Hightowers, the Empire and the since-demolished Gwenwood on 19th Street NW. Today he shares office space and support staff with Conrad's growing interests, but for the most part pursues his own deals. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. From the others he solicited their names, bending to murmur prompts into the ear of the star. In Remembrance. January 12, 2023 It took lawyers and IRS agents 4 years to settle the estate, which was valued in 1968 at $66 million. He started by buying -- for $700,000, in 1922 -- the equivalent of 90 city blocks in Petworth, including the Columbia Golf Club, and ultimately built 3,000 houses there. "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". They charge in their suit that Rogers and Atlas influenced her to leave all the property she controlled to the foundation. After Morris Cafritz died, his close associate Martin Atlas became executive vice president of the company, and vice president and treasurer of the Cafritz Foundation, while Gwendolyn Cafritz ultimately became president of both. He warmly greeted staff and fellow philanthropist alike, making no distinction between people. In May, Jane Lipton Cafritz hosted a lunch that brought together a number of young opera singers and many of their supporters and admirers. "Jews in general just didn't figure. "That what she wanted was pointless is not for us to judge.". "I just thought she maybe had had enough of running around, and she was maybe going to stay in a while. In the '50s, Cafritz had an early conviction that the future direction of downtown Washington was along the K Street corridor, and before his death in 1964 he built a dozen buildings in the "new" downtown, mostly on K and I streets NW. There is no photo or video of Calvin Cafritz.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. Remembering Calvin Cafritz - The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation The outcome of the lawsuit is unpredictable, though clearly it will be an uphill fight: Showing that someone was alcoholic is very different from demonstrating that she was incapable of writing a will. What do Conrad and Carter Cafritz hope to gain from an arduous legal proceeding that already involves at least 12 law firms and threatens to stretch on for years? 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. Calvins father Morris built the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel at 14. and K Streets NW, homes next to the National Arboretum, the Greenwich Forest neighborhood in Bethesda and several office buildings downtown. Morris was a famously frugal man who used to tell friends he couldn't afford to rent office space in the best of his buildings, and his major vanity, beyond lying about his age, appears to have been combing his pomaded hair over a bald spot at the back. If you could walk around to the back, you might look out at the famous view; and you might almost see as far as Southeast D.C., where Morris lies with his in-laws, still waiting. Because Gwendolyn's estate has not been probated, its value is hard to establish. There are hints too that he has social ambitions on Gwendolyn's scale, if not exactly of her type. At seated dinners for 22, she entertained ambassadors and justices, senators and Cabinet secretaries. She could no longer make an entrance, of course. And even then, there was always fussing. We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. If youre in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies The Cromwell, Aberdeen, Fernbrook, Rosedale, Isleworth, Traymore and Zellwood are in sorry shape today, but still stand as a modest monument to the name C-A-F-R-I-T-Z. Calvin Cafritz Obituary Roger was born on September 30, 1952 in Toulon, the son. He was preceded in death by his brother Carter Cafritz. "Carter, he always did what the other two did," says Casey. An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. CAFRITZ SONS WIN ESTATE CHALLENGE - The Washington Post She carried her isolation to her grave. That's why her final victory rather delighted me. Mr. Cafritz' 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. But almost no one seems to doubt that Conrad is the main force behind it. One possible reason for that -- and for any bitterness that might motivate the lawsuit -- is suggested by the suit's underlying argument: "For many years, beginning at a time not precisely known to plaintiffs, but at least by the time of the death of the late Morris Cafritz, the Decedent began suffering from a number of conditions that resulted in physical and mental debilitation," reads the complaint. 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. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died . He was 91. 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.". Once it was built, he wasn't interested in it.". 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. In particular, he has carried on an epic feud with Herbert S. Miller, chairman of Western Development Corp. Western won a city contract in 1985 to develop the so-called Portals site at the foot of the 14th Street Bridge, potentially the largest commercial development in the city. None of the Cafritz sons can be said to need the money that is at stake. G Guest 4 hours ago Comment Share T The staff at Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care Inc a day ago We plant this tree as a living memorial to Calvin. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. At the time the lawsuit was filed, family sources told The Washington Post that the marital trust was worth $84 million. Gwendolyn Cafritz, a leading Washington hostess, died of cancer Tuesday at her home in the capital. Except for minor bequests to former employees and other family members, she also left to the foundation all of the property she owned outright. Cafritz Family Obituaries | Cafritz Last Name Obits It has been variously reviewed as "one of the more important bands to emerge from the new head-slamming school of American guitar/noise bands" and "the gnarliest, most scuzzed out molotov to hit the streets since the heady days of Teenage Jesus and The Jerks." It is easy to imagine that for a son of Morris Cafritz, watching great deals go unmade is a kind of hell. Calvin R Cafritz, (202) 223-3100, 1642 29th St NW, Washington, DC Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies Calvin Cafritz, developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies The Cafritz Foundation is also a longtime supporter of GWs Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. Rogers, an attorney general under President Eisenhower and secretary of state under Richard Nixon, declined to be interviewed for this story; he has denied the allegations in papers filed in court. 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. "Conrad is really an anomaly," says lawyer and real estate developer Donald Brown. Certainly it is Conrad who seems to embody, in one slight frame, the polarities of his parents' lives and personalities. There are also real estate assets at Arlingtons 3701 N. Fairfax Drive, which is the former home of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. 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. ", According to friends, her confidence was badly shaken when she was robbed at home in 1969 by gunmen who bound and beat her, stealing most of the spectacular jewelry Morris had given her. Today, Calvin is foundation chairman. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. Your email address will not be published. He is also survived by his three children, Elliot Cafritz (Lauren), Anthony Cafritz (Pearl), and Elizabeth Peltekian(Viken); five grandchildren, Sam, Alexander, Seb, Aram, and Van; three stepchildren, Olivia Rubenstein, Irina Rubenstein, and James Speyer; and two step-grandchildren Evan and MJSpeyer. . To one interviewer she said that art was "the theme, you might say" of her life, "as in a Wagnerian opera." 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. "Watch Washington Grow to One Million," he urged in newspaper ads of the '40s, a slogan he changed to "Watch Washington Grow to Two Million" after the 1950 census counted more than 1.4 million in the metropolitan area. Their complaint challenges her wish to leave all she owned, except for minor bequests, to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, a charitable trust her husband had established 40 years before. Obituary | Betty Colvin of Warren, Arkansas | Frazer's Funeral Home Some observers speculate that Conrad, hardheaded real estate man that he is, simply wants some say in the disposition of the real estate owned -- in many cases, co-owned -- by the foundation and Gwendolyn's estate. Calvin Cafritz - Rockville, Maryland , Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky "She was good to me, and she was a good woman in my eyes," he says. What do the younger sons of the celebrated Washington hostess hope to gain by waging legal war over their mother's will? Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies at 91. bizjournals.com - Michael Neibauer 20h. "With so-called friends all around her, she was a very lonely woman," says Dowling. He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. Even as the chaos of wartime Washington started to loosen social strictures, Washington's leading hostess, Evalyn Walsh McLean, stopped entertaining; this opening, together with a boost from Eleanor "Cissy" Patterson, publisher of the Washington Times-Herald, gave Gwendolyn her opportunity. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Calvin Cafritz to show support. "He's creative, he's smart, also ambitious, like his father. Echovita offers a solidarity program that gives back the funds generated to families. "He took me into the kitchen and showed me how the cook would leave coffee for him in the morning," remembers the friend. She also made bequests of $100,000 each to 10 of her 13 grandchildren -- excluding the children Conrad adopted, to whom he has remained a committed father. "I make no other provision in this will for the benefit of my children," it states, "as their financial needs are adequately provided for" by the old agreement giving them $7 million each. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. Philanthropic 50: Calvin and Jane Cafritz: They Sing For More Than . David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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.". Most of the band's song titles are too profane for citation in mainstream reviews (or newspaper magazines such as this); one, a song that would surely have outraged the vocalist/guitarist's grandparents, is titled "You Look Like a Jew.". 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." "That black sense of humor asserts itself, or he'll do something outrageous." Betty Lou Roberts Colvin, age 84 of Warren, AR passed away November 5, 2020 at Chapel Woods Nursing Home in Warren, AR. 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. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. At the same time, he and Tompkins had the foresight to buy the land now known as Pentagon City. When the Cafritzes' back terrace offered the most celebrated view of the city, southeast, past the swimming pool and rolling lawn, all the way to the Capitol. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. 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. Morris Cafritz is remembered more for the quantity than for the aesthetic quality of his works. She retained the right to will awaythe remaining three-quarters, or $63 million, which sheleft to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Real estate was more than mortgages and refi nancing in the Cafritzian heyday; it was empire building . Atlas too declined to comment, but he issued a statement when the suit was filed saying that he had no role in drafting the will, and no advance knowledge of its contents. Her husband, along with her parents, was buried in Washington Hebrew Cemetery, in Southeast, in a nicely landscaped, square plot designed for four under a monumental headstone reading CAFRITZ. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Conrad and Carter Cafritz are claiming that Rogers and Atlas "secured domination and control" over Gwendolyn, controlling all of her assets and making her the figurehead president of both the foundation and the real estate businesses, "notwithstanding that she was, and Defendants Atlas and Rogers knew she was, incapable of discharging the duties incumbent upon her in such positions." Conrad has six children -- three adopted sons, who were Jennifer's by a first marriage; two daughters with Jennifer; and, with Peggy, 5-year-old Zachary. Remembering Calvin Cafritz - Meyer Foundation An old friend remembers a Fourth of July party at which one or more of the boys stood in a window above the path that led indoors from the pool to the cocktail area, throwing firecrackers down onto the guests. 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. He may sometimes have yearned for recognition: One night, after one of the glamorous dinners, he drew a friend of Gwendolyn's away from the dining room and into the kitchen. ", 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. Calvin Cafritz Obituary (1931 - 2023) - Washington, DC - The Washington But he believes her drinking was a source of family discord. But maybe they just don't want Gwen Cafritz to have the last word. No one needed to be told that this was Gwendolyn Cafritz's last hurrah. She has pressured the Smithsonian to increase the number of minorities in high-ranking positions and has been arrested outside the South African Embassy as a leader of Mother's Day protests there. And {Gwendolyn} was just considered comical, and there were a lot of jokes about her. Click here for full story from WTOP and the Washington Business Journal. In 2021 alone, the foundation awarded some 430 grants to 413 nonprofits. They're more like the French salons.". When he died, his estate was the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia. It is a jolting reminder that Peggy and Conrad, a black woman married to a white Jewish millionaire in a racially divided city, represent a fascinating reshuffling of the social deck that produced the polarized marriage of Morris and Gwendolyn. So he began buying real estate speculatively, and in 1920 opened a real estate office on 15th Street NW. 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. recalls Raymond Carter, a former vice president of the Cafritz Co. "He always had a new job going. (91 years old). Yet Morris made little impression on Gwendolyn's social world, and she often went out or took vacations alone. In Memoriam: Calvin Cafritz | GW Today | The George Washington University (Conrad and Peggy were both involved in Barry's first election campaign, and Peggy is the godmother of Barry's son, Christopher.) Washington, DC 20006. . Expand the Memories and Condolences form. There are no events at this time. 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. He too has denied the sons' allegations in his formal answer to their complaint. Was believed to be 102. One quarter to be divided among his sons, in trusts they would inherit outright at age 35. 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. If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. Papers filed in court by his sons' lawyers say he was born in 1888; his gravestone says 1890, which would have made him only 14 when he started his business career. Her gown, as in the past, was spectacularly formal: folds of purple satin sweeping to her ankles beneath a fitted bodice. 5.8K. The D.C. community is better for his engagement and we will miss him terribly.. Gwendolyn Cafritz, 78, Washington Hostess - The New York Times 91. With him at the helm, the foundation distributed hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to a range of organizations, including the National Gallery of Art, Bread for the City and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. Peggy, the product of a well-to-do black family from Mobile, Ala., has worked especially at promoting arts in the black community: She almost single-handedly founded the Duke Ellington School for the Arts and was Marion Barry's first chairman of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Morris Cafritz incorporated the foundation in 1948 to give money to Washington-area charities, and when he died 16 years later, he left it half his estate, mostly as stock in dozens of closely held corporations; as the new majority owner of most of these companies, and with Gwendolyn owning most of the rest, the foundation became in essence the owner of the Cafritz Co., its subsidiaries and its assets. There is, for example, the very palpable legacy of real estate developed by Morris Cafritz, including several lots and office buildings downtown. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. Mr. Cafritz is also survived by his brother Conrad Cafritz. Rogers had served as her personal attorney since her husband, Washington real estate magnate Morris Cafritz, died in 1964. Calvin Cafritz obituary - fskhub.com ", Gwendolyn's estate is worth at least $140 million, including both her personal holdings and a trust passed on from Morris Cafritz's will (see box, Page 32). 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. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. He left it as follows: Half to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Of the three sons, Calvin seems to have had the best relationship with his mother. Influence over the city's future -- no doubt. Mr. All rights reserved. In his later years he established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. 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. All of their lives, the Cafritz boys have been aware of their status as the sons of Morris and Gwendolyn. 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 George Washington University community is remembering the life of Calvin Cafritz, a businessman, philanthropist and longtime supporter of GW. While he was head of the foundation, Cafritz distributed grants to places like The National Gallery of Art, Washington National Opera and The Kennedy Center. As the hostess had asked, Ridgewell's Caterers heaped the silver platters and chafing dishes with the same filling, fusty food -- the whole poached salmon, the ham and turkey and carved tenderloin; none of the pastas or blackened seafood or grilled vegetables then in fashion. 2 SONS CONTEST $84 MILLION CAFRITZ WILL - The Washington Post
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