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. 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. Ridgewell's had produced, out of retirement, the same waiter who had announced the guests eight years before.

. By 1915 he was known locally as "The Bowling King" but still restlessly sought an opportunity that would truly engage him. She had not given a party for eight years, and even then, she had been memorializing the past; the real tradition, the old wine being decanted on this lambent June evening, had been decades in storage. All three had become local real estate developers, successful, if less spectacular, emulators of their father. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. "Carter Cafritz is just a genuine nice fellow," says Raymond Carter, a former vice president of the Cafritz Co. "Conrad is more in the father's mold. CAFRITZ James Edward Cafritz James Edward Cafritz of Bethesda, MD, passed away on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at the age of 90. As time went on, she lost complete control, and she had to drink more. Of the three Cafritz sons, says restaurateur Herb White, "Conrad seems to be the one who has something to prove to himself.". At the same time, he and Tompkins had the foresight to buy the land now known as Pentagon City. CAFRITZ SONS WIN ESTATE CHALLENGE - The Washington Post Baron and Baroness Constantine Stackelberg . Calvins father Morris built the now-demolished Ambassador Hotel at 14th and K Streets NW, homes next to the National Arboretum, the Greenwich Forest neighborhood in Bethesda and several office buildings downtown. Site design by, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation. Throughout the '40s and '50s it was her custom to give a large cocktail reception each spring, and to mark the opening of every fall season with a party honoring the start of the Supreme Court term. They're more like the French salons.". He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. 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. Gwendolyn Cafritz, 78, Washington Hostess - The New York Times ", 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. Cafritz died in 1964 of a heart attack. 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." 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. 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. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a distinguished Washington lawyer, whom he married on June 1, 2000. 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. Cafritz started by investing in real estate, and was always ready to make a prescient purchase, but his true passion was construction. Under an earlier agreement between Gwendolyn and her sons, she gave up her power to "appoint" one-quarter of the trust, meaning that $21 million -- or $7 million each -- would automatically go to her sons upon her death. All rights reserved. All three stayed in Washington to work at some variation of their father's trade. This suit asks the court to overturn her will, after which, under D.C. law, her property would be divided among her sons. Carter appears something of a cipher even to old family associates. Click here for full story from WTOP and the Washington Business Journal. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz please visit our,

An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. The "Cafritz" in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program. The holdings in downtown Washington include buildings in the 1700 and 1800 blocks of K Street and a parking lot at 12th and K; buildings in the 1300 and 1600 blocks of L Street; property in the 1600, 1700 and 1800 blocks of I Street. To one interviewer she said that art was "the theme, you might say" of her life, "as in a Wagnerian opera." Conrad's strange, and doesn't mind people thinking that he's strange; he kind of encourages it.". But he's much different from his father, in a lot of ways. Calvin Cafritz - Rockville, Maryland , Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky 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. 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. Senator Barry Goldwater . And to the publicity-loathing cave dwellers, the Georgetown hostesses who were society leaders by birth, Gwendolyn's so-visible efforts made her a figure of fun. When Morris Cafritz died in 1964, his estate was worth $66 million, mostly in the form of stock in dozens of closely held corporations he had established to manage his real estate. In relation to real estate, Calvin Cafritz dove deep into area projects over the years like the Riverdale Park Station in Prince Georges County as well as developments at 5333 Connecticut Ave. NW and 1725 I St. NW. "Maybe we try a little harder because our family name is well-known," he told a reporter in 1965. He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. 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. But almost no one noticed what seemed apparent to Gore Vidal, in brief glimpses of her during the '60s: "Toward the end {of the decade}, she was always drunk whenever I saw her. Devoted father to Laurence (Sherri) Cafritz and Jodi (Mark Bronsky) Cafr 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. Devoted father to Laurence (Sherri) Cafritz and Jodi (Mark Bronsky) Cafritz; cherished grandfather to Daniel, Ryan, Jeremy, Jack and Mick; beloved friend of first wife Sandie Cafritz; loving brother to the late William (Buffy) Cafritz; treasured uncle to Sandy (Helen . "I think he went along," says a longtime business associate, Irwin Altman. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz. Another asks the bank to produce "all documents relating to purchase or provision of wine, champagne, or liquor on behalf of or for Gwendolyn Cafritz or for delivery to or consumption at 2301 Foxhall Road. That's why her final victory rather delighted me. Small wonder that, as he approached his forties unmarried, he was one of the most eligible bachelors within the small, closed circle of Washington's Jewish society. 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. He was 91. The Morris and. 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. Her skin had an unhealthy, pouchy pallor; extending an uncertain hand, she had the air of a dreamer deploying remembered charms. 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. 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. No one needed to be told that this was Gwendolyn Cafritz's last hurrah. 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. And other times she didn't. Rachel M. Ratowsky, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Yet he uncomplainingly supported all of Gwendolyn's efforts, and was said to adore his colorful bride. Obituary | Betty Colvin of Warren, Arkansas | Frazer's Funeral Home It is, as always, unclear where her inborn quirkiness shaded into the effects of alcoholism; but many of her friends, in later years, simply came to think of her as "difficult" or "eccentric"; Almost everyone has a story about her forgetting their names, or making some sudden comment of shocking rudeness. With that philosophy he built a substantial reputation for philanthropy. Kateryna Pyatybratova directs the centers Cafritz Awards program. There are no events at this time. Calvin Cafritz and the Cafritz Foundation have been part of the GW Honey Nashman Center from its earliest roots in the Office of Community Service and the Neighbors Project in the 1990s through to the present, said Amy Cohen, executive director of the center. About - The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation In 1971, Mr. Cafritz resigned to form Calvin Cafritz Enterprises, with investments in aviation, communications, and Washington area real estate. . When he died, his estate was the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. In the 1400 block of Spring Road NW is a row of seven almost identical walk-up apartment buildings. 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. Since 1989, Cafritz led the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, a charitable organization named for his parents. He never tired of committing himself to this mission, which only grew bigger with time. The foundation also gave generously to support the recent GW Hillel building renovation, as well as to provide ongoing support to other civic-minded programs at GW. 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. 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. Each is in his second marriage; each is in some way involved in the arts. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies at 91. bizjournals.com - Michael Neibauer 20h. 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. In 2021 alone some 430 grants were given to 413 nonprofits of all sizes, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Washington National Opera (through the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera program), the Phillips Collection, the National Gallery of Art, and countless colleges, universities,and schools throughout the DC area. 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. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died Thursday at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Rachel was a daughter of the late Abraham and Chierney Yarowsky. 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. . But it was a heady enough wine to call out 300 guests, and the ghosts of many more who had preceded them. 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. 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. To offer your sympathy during this difficult time, you can now have memorial trees planted in a National Forest in memory of your loved one. "Decedent's condition deteriorated after the death of her husband in 1964 and grew worse in the following years. 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. It is easy to imagine that for a son of Morris Cafritz, watching great deals go unmade is a kind of hell. And he still fights his battles with a surprising intensity, rarely bothering with the shake-hands-and-forget-it bonhomie common in Washington business. ", High culture was one of her chosen routes to acceptance. He and his wife, Jane, and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation have made major contributions to the city of Washington, DC and the region. ", Other documents filed in court indicate that the sons will argue their mother was incapacitated by alcoholism. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. That's what we call a success story. He is a leading supporter of the Global India Fund, and the Ukapav Indian-American Scholarship Foundation. The control of so much money, especially in a city with limited corporate philanthropy, brings enormous power. Here, still, was the art moderne house, nearly as startling in 1986 as it had been when Morris Cafritz built it for his young family almost 50 years earlier. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. In addition, there are at least 10 apartment buildings in D.C. Conrad, say friends, has watched in frustration as downtown Washington boomed and the foundation failed to take maximum advantage of its holdings. Upon Morris Cafritz's death in 1964, he became president of the Cafritz Co.; and in the first will Gwendolyn wrote, in 1969, which included all three sons, she made Calvin an executor and left him the Foxhall Road house. Where he was meat and potatoes, earnest frugality, civic pride, she was flashing dark beauty, mercurial moods and social ambition. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz. In Memoriam: Calvin Cafritz | GW Today | The George Washington University There is no photo or video of Calvin Cafritz.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? "I just thought she maybe had had enough of running around, and she was maybe going to stay in a while. And {Gwendolyn} was just considered comical, and there were a lot of jokes about her. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. But maybe they just don't want Gwen Cafritz to have the last word. "Those were her orders: The Scotch should never be let go beneath the neck of the decanter. His father, Morris, established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and . Recognizably brothers, the youngest of them nearing his fifties, they were a striking presence at the party. This is in alignment with GW efforts to benefit the local community., Cafritz was a leading force in the establishment of GWs Center for Excellence in Public Leadership (CEPL) in 1997, to help support the D.C. government just as it was coming out of receivership from the U.S. Congress. . . . To Martin Atlas, she left $50,000 and a Chagall painting. 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? 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. 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." She could no longer make an entrance, of course. She carried her isolation to her grave. In the past two decades Washington has been one of the hottest real estate markets in the country, building new fortunes, multiplying old ones, constantly attracting new players from other cities. "Carter, he always did what the other two did," says Casey. And by 1970, arts and humanities took the largest share of the funding. Calvin H. Frazier (February 16, 1915 - September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. 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 . They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel. Memorial services will be held at 2:00 pm on December 2 at First Presbyterian Church of Richardson with David Schaefers officiating. "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". 1050 30th St. NW By 1967, records show a sprinkling of grants to highbrow cultural causes: the Committee to Rescue Italian Art, the Opera Society of Washington, the Corcoran Gallery. "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. Her two younger sons have also filed a separate petition that pursues only the marital trust. January 12, 2023 Read more on bizjournals.com. Small grants went to 15 more Jewish charities, and the rest to such local charities as boys clubs and hospital funds. Jane Lipton Cafritz was elected in the second half of 2022 to succeed her husband as the foundations president and CEO. Yet in Morris's absence, the family was anything but the tight-knit dynasty he had paved the way for. If you know of an upcoming event for Calvin Cafritz, please add one. 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 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. Ways to honor Calvin Cafritz's life and legacy. The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, the charitable organization Calvin Cafritz had led since 1989, confirmed his passing and provided a copy of his obituary, which didnt disclose cause of death. He was 91. There is a poignant moment in Gwendolyn's 1956 interview with Murrow when she points out a portrait of herself that hangs on the wall. "Right at the moment he could be most charming, he does something to undercut it," says one friend. The D.C. community is better for his engagement and we will miss him terribly.. Peggy Cooper Cafritz, grande dame of the Washington arts and education She set aside bequests for two nephews ($35,000 each); a former company employee, Dorothy Casey ($10,000); and four former servants (two bequests of $50,000 and two of $25,000). Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. Gradually, as Gwendolyn took command of it, its character changed. 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. 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 any case, he was at least 20 years older than his bride when they married in 1929. If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. Thanks to the support of the Cafritz Foundation for the last 25 years, CEPL has supported organizational transformation across the public sector in the city. The trust was established at the death of Morris Cafritz in June 1964 in the interests of saving estate taxes. He's truly out to make a big impact on the city, I think. The foundation, which Calvin led for over 30 years (after his mother Gwendolyn died in 1988), focuses on programs in the arts and humanities. To those who thronged to the parties, the children were rarely in evidence. We will miss his gracious and generous presence.. 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. With such a ruling, the trust would pass to the three sons, as outlined in Morris's will. 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. Morris had one vision, and Gwendolyn another; whoever now gains control might offer still a third. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. 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. ", Her drinking got out of control, he agrees, shortly after Morris Cafritz's sudden death of a heart attack in 1964. 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. 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.". An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. He was "greatly respected and liked, even in an antisemitic society," recalls Dixon. He often conveyed his conviction that believing in a cause obligated one to support it financially. 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. Calvin Cafritz, a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC, was born March 29, 1931, as the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz. Mr. Cafritz said that the awards are designed to "shine a light on the contributions of extraordinary government employees. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. One quarter to his widow, in a "marital trust" that would pay her interest until her death and give her the power to "appoint" the ultimate heirs to the principal; if she did not exercise this power, the principal would pass to the Cafritzes' sons upon her death. The India-born founder and CEO of District-based software company Hunch Analytics is an active benefactor of both Washington and Indian causes and nonprofit groups.

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