He was an excellent listener and always got both the big picture and important details by asking insightful questions. Mr. With that philosophy he built a substantial reputation for philanthropy. Small grants went to 15 more Jewish charities, and the rest to such local charities as boys clubs and hospital funds. Calvin, Carter and Conrad, all of Washington, and 13 grandchildren. He has always been involved in the bread and butter real estate of housing, from building single-family homes in Prince William County to renovating apartment complexes in Alexandria; he was a major beneficiary of the Washington condo boom. ", 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). "Right at the moment he could be most charming, he does something to undercut it," says one friend. The suit was filed by the middle and youngest Cafritz sons, Carter, 53, and Conrad, 51. The Cafritz Foundation is also responsible for developing Art Place at Fort Totten, a huge mixed-use project in the Northeast D.C. area. 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. Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a doyenne of Washington arts and education, who tried to mend many of the city's social and racial wounds, created one of the nation's leading arts-intensive high schools,. He began with houses, ultimately building about 10,000 homes in the Washington area. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. 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. 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. This suit asks the court to overturn her will, after which, under D.C. law, her property would be divided among her sons. 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. He often conveyed his conviction that believing in a cause obligated one to support it financially. 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. January 27, 2023. 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. ", Gwendolyn reportedly raised her children according to the dictates of her European background -- under the aegis of servants, to be seen and not heard. "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. Ways to honor Calvin Cafritz's life and legacy. There are, superficially, great similarities among the three brothers, who all share their mother's dark coloring. 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. D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate icon Morris Cafritz and his wife Gwendolyn, died . 1050 30th St. NW ", 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 even then, there was always fussing. "The decanter always had to be full," Dowling says. 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. Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. 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 2021 alone, the foundation awarded some 430 grants to 413 nonprofits.

. He was 91. From the others he solicited their names, bending to murmur prompts into the ear of the star. He left it as follows: Half to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Finally, there is the legacy contained in any will: The power to reward or to punish the living, to define or rearrange the narrative of a family's history. They're more like the French salons.". Calvin Cafritz Obituary It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of Calvin Cafritz (Rockville, Maryland), who passed away on January 12, 2023, at the age of 91, leaving to mourn family and friends. Conrad's strategy has been diversity. "Lots of times she could drink and she knew exactly what she was doing. 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 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. 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. 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. It took lawyers and IRS agents 4 years to settle the estate, which was valued in 1968 at $66 million. But like all wills, the one now known in probate court as 3035-88 offers more than one legacy, and thus more than one motive. "Those were her orders: The Scotch should never be let go beneath the neck of the decanter. 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. In May, Jane Lipton Cafritz hosted a lunch that brought together a number of young opera singers and many of their supporters and admirers. He also has three children, five grandchildren and three stepchildren. Ridgewell's had produced, out of retirement, the same waiter who had announced the guests eight years before. Yet in Morris's absence, the family was anything but the tight-knit dynasty he had paved the way for. It is intriguing to imagine what different directions Conrad Cafritz might urge -- and how much they would draw from the activism of his wife, who has likely pondered what difference the Cafritz endowment might make to her lifelong campaign to wrest the arts from Washington's white upper classes. Distinguished D.C. Government Employees Recognized at Cafritz Awards Gala, Office of Communications & Marketing 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. Yet he uncomplainingly supported all of Gwendolyn's efforts, and was said to adore his colorful bride. Rachel M. Ratowsky, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. "With so-called friends all around her, she was a very lonely woman," says Dowling. He's truly out to make a big impact on the city, I think. All three had become local real estate developers, successful, if less spectacular, emulators of their father. The judge's decision, though in favor of Conrad and Carter Cafritz, is of little. I just make speeches.". Cafritz died in 1964 of a heart attack. The Washington Harbour purchase, along with a current joint venture to develop a riverfront office and hotel project in Rosslyn, has caused speculation that Conrad Cafritz is increasingly eager to be identified with high-quality, high-profile projects that might bring him more notice. The trust was established at the death of Morris Cafritz in June 1964 in the interests of saving estate taxes. Finally, there is an emotional legacy to be earned -- or perhaps shed. "I know Atlas hates publicity like poison," says Raymond Carter, a former Cafritz Co. vice president. 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. . 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. Cafritz was a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC. "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. 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." Mr. 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. Calvins brother Carter passed away in 2019. Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. Mr. Cafritz has been an exemplary advocate for excellence in government and nonprofits in D.C., and the foundation has been a force for community self-efficacy. 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? 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. In the process, he amassed one of the first great fortunes to be carved out of Washington itself. Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. It is hard to imagine, in this competitive atmosphere, that a single person could have dominated the field as Morris Cafritz once did. "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. (His first wife, Jennifer, has since married Laughlin Phillips, son of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips and president of the Phillips Collection.). He has interests too in a booming brokerage firm he helped bankroll, and in a Midwestern shopping-center conglomerate. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. They have helped us to be innovative and to expand. "Getting along with her," says one developer who knows the family, "was something none of them ever mastered. Calvin Cafritz, a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC, was born March 29, 1931, as the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz. 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. 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. All of their lives, the Cafritz boys have been aware of their status as the sons of Morris and Gwendolyn. The "Cafritz" in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists Program. He was 91. She was 78 years old. 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. That's what we call a success story. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. 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. Of the three sons, Calvin seems to have had the best relationship with his mother. It is also different from proving that a respected lawyer and former Cabinet member, in league with a longtime family associate, unfairly loaded the dice. It is not clear how old he was when he fell for a 19-year-old Hungarian-American beauty named Gwendolyn Detre de Surany; perhaps because she was so much younger than he, Cafritz appears to have habitually understated his age by six or eight years. Twenty-four years later, when Gwendolyn Cafritz died, her estate consisted of two parts: the marital trust established under Morris's will, and her own property -- the landmark house on Foxhall Road and various real estate, stocks, bonds and savings accounts. Click here for full story from WTOP and the Washington Business Journal. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 5.8K. Was believed to be 102. I hope they will. 'Their Financial Needs Are Adequately Provided For'. His class yearbook is littered with references to his family's money; in a list at the back of "most likely" candidates, the last two entries read, "Most Likely to Succeed: Johnson, Clague," and "Doesn't Have To: Cafritz. 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. You have funeral questions, we have answers. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz. He warmly greeted staff and fellow philanthropist alike, making no distinction between people. Her gown, as in the past, was spectacularly formal: folds of purple satin sweeping to her ankles beneath a fitted bodice. Their differences were, in fact, a part of their legend, for they were one of the earliest families to bring together the two cities on the Potomac: On the one hand was the ethereal world of social and political Washington -- her world, which venerated either good birth or a seat in the Senate; on the other hand was his world, the corporeal city of sewers and streets and buildings and real citizens, men and women who grew up above grocery stores the way Morris Cafritz had. 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. 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. (91 years old). "That what she wanted was pointless is not for us to judge.". Gwendolyn Cafritz died of cancer last November. Giving to charity is a meaningful way to honor someone who has died. Asked in 1954 why all her sons bore two-syllable names beginning with "C," she replied, "Morris names all children, horses, dogs, apartment houses and everything around here. ", 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. "He just wanted to build, build, build, build!" Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Calvin Cafritz to show support. In his later years he established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. 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. 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. In high school, for example, Conrad stood out even among his privileged classmates at St. Albans. But of the property over which she had control, Gwendolyn left her children only "such photographs, family mementos, and similar objects of domestic use or ornamentation as my executors, in their absolute discretion, shall determine that I would wish to have preserved for my children.". . 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. Of the three Cafritz sons, says restaurateur Herb White, "Conrad seems to be the one who has something to prove to himself.". At the heart of the lawsuit is a quest to gain at least partial control over the whole empire of which Gwendolyn's estate is an integral piece, over the whole legacy that Morris Cafritz created. 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. And Gwendolyn's estate is not, in the end, the only -- or even the main thing -- at stake. Gwendolyn Cafritz, a leading Washington hostess, died of cancer Tuesday at her home in the capital. 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. Influence over the city's future -- no doubt. If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. 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. 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. When the Duke and Duchess of Windsor came and danced downstairs in "the Club," with the dance floor lighted from below. "She was good to me, and she was a good woman in my eyes," he says. "I think it has the clean linear design of a Botticelli, and the elegance of an English portrait," she burbles, in her faintly accented great-lady voice, "and that's the way I would like my children to remember me. Kateryna Pyatybratova directs the centers Cafritz Awards program. Calvin Cafritz, a successful businessman, was involved in real estate for more than fifty years. He was for years the president of the Jewish Community Center and donated the land for its first headquarters on Q Street NW. Mr. Cafritz began his career with Cafritz Construction Company in 1947. Calvin H. Frazier (February 16, 1915 - September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. And he still fights his battles with a surprising intensity, rarely bothering with the shake-hands-and-forget-it bonhomie common in Washington business. 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). Required fields are marked *. 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." 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 began his career with Cafritz Construction in 1947, pausing briefly to attend college and serve in the military. He never tired of committing himself to this mission, which only grew bigger with time. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies at 91. bizjournals.com - Michael Neibauer 20h. Because Gwendolyn's estate has not been probated, its value is hard to establish. Betty Lou Roberts Colvin, age 84 of Warren, AR passed away November 5, 2020 at Chapel Woods Nursing Home in Warren, AR. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Mild, self-effacing, decorous, humble, and unfailingly courteous, Mr. Cafritz led by example and always with a smile. Then there is the charitable legacy. The mission of the foundation is improving the quality of life for all Washington, D.C., metropolitan-area residents, Boerstling said. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. ", Today, he still combats a version of that assumption, pithily summed up by one detractor in this way: "You don't have to be Albert Einstein to take money and make additional money in real estate." None of the Cafritz sons can be said to need the money that is at stake. For some people, the best send-off is one that they would have loved to attendthemselves: a big party. 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. "Conrad was persistent as hell in getting that project," says one person familiar with Conrad's business. Baron and Baroness Constantine Stackelberg . 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. There are no events scheduled. Calvin Cafritz Obituary The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has Died January 17, 2023 Calvin Cafritz Death, Obituary - Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz, died Thursday at Sibley Memorial Hospital. CALVIN FRITZ OBITUARY Wyoming - Calvin "Roger" Fritz, 69, of Wyoming, passed away at 5:29 p.m. Friday, December 24, 2021 at his home. Washington, DC 20007 Marvin LaVerne Katz, 83, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on November 22, 2019 in Dallas. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. 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. January 12, 2023 GECS offers business development, bid proposal writing training, and resume preparation services for individuals seeking employment with the Federal Government, and provides knowledge management services to assist businesses with succession planning. 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.

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