"I know Atlas hates publicity like poison," says Raymond Carter, a former Cafritz Co. vice president. 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. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. He was 91. Says a friend, "He thinks they're a lot of fuddy-duddies living in the 17th century." 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. 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. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. "That what she wanted was pointless is not for us to judge.". His father, one of Washington's leading commercial and residential builders from the early 1920's to the 1960's, distinguished himself as an outstanding civic leader known for generosity. In addition to his loving family, he leaves behind a long-time member of the family household, Lilian Punzalan, and countless admiring friends. ", She kept up appearances even in the privacy of her home, where she drank Scotch from a decanter in the living room. At the time the lawsuit was filed, family sources told The Washington Post that the marital trust was worth $84 million. 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. There are no events scheduled. Except for minor bequests to former employees and other family members, she also left to the foundation all of the property she owned outright. Then there is the foundation itself, with its powerful endowment for the city. They have helped us to be innovative and to expand. The Cafritz Foundation is also a longtime supporter of GWs Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service. 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. In the 1400 block of Spring Road NW is a row of seven almost identical walk-up apartment buildings. Mr. 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. Mr. Cafritz said that the awards are designed to "shine a light on the contributions of extraordinary government employees. Add a photo or a video 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. If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. "Jews in general just didn't figure. ", Gwendolyn reportedly raised her children according to the dictates of her European background -- under the aegis of servants, to be seen and not heard. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. 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. That task was left to her closest relatives. 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. 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. Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. "Decedent's condition deteriorated after the death of her husband in 1964 and grew worse in the following years. 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 got up at 5 or 5:30, and he wanted to show me what a hard-working man he was.". Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. March 29, 1931 - He's truly out to make a big impact on the city, I think. Cafritz is survived by Jane, his third wife, who is a lawyer in the area. Implicitly, Carter and Conrad Cafritz are also challenging her designation of Calvin, the eldest, as the only son who will have a future role in running the foundation, which already controls assets of more than $220 million. In Washington, D.C., when Irene Bloch's husband dies, a character says, "We should build him a monument, and dedicate it to the Unknown Husband. 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. He was 91. There he built the massive River House apartments; his estate eventually sold most of the land for others to develop. The house on Foxhall Road, completed in 1938, was explicitly designed to fulfill that ambition. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. ", Interviews suggest the sons will not lack for evidence to support their argument. The foundation, which Calvin led for over 30 years (after his mother Gwendolyn died in 1988), focuses on programs in the arts and humanities. Where he was meat and potatoes, earnest frugality, civic pride, she was flashing dark beauty, mercurial moods and social ambition. 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. Unless you are experienced as an estate executor, you probably should hire an attorney. ", While she cultivated the mighty, Morris looked closer to home, helping to found the Washington Community Chest, becoming an activist in local Jewish groups. "Lots of times she could drink and she knew exactly what she was doing. In the process, he amassed one of the first great fortunes to be carved out of Washington itself. Today, Calvin is foundation chairman. But he believes her drinking was a source of family discord. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. But it was a heady enough wine to call out 300 guests, and the ghosts of many more who had preceded them. He served in these roles until 2022, when Jane Lipton Cafritz, his wife, was elected Board Chair and President and CEO. 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. The Cafritz Foundation is also responsible for developing Art Place at Fort Totten, a huge mixed-use project in the Northeast D.C. area. "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". 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. 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. Cafritzs passing was confirmed by the charitable organization named after Morris and his wife, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. The house was not so much well-tended as beautifully preserved, arrested in time; and the party duplicated the past in every anachronistic detail. When he died, his estate was the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia. 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." Cafritz exemplified what it means to be an inspirational leader and a great human being, said Pyatybratova. All three sons were rumored to have difficult relationships with their mother, and it was rare to find them together, bearing in unison the family standard. 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. Calvin, 58, who finds himself a defendant in this lawsuit, is usually described as gentlemanly, methodical and reserved. For another, he is said to alternate in seconds between a manic intensity and a mumbling diffidence. 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. The suit was filed by the middle and youngest Cafritz sons, Carter, 53, and Conrad, 51. But Carter and Conrad Cafritz are not named in their mother's will. 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. 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. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to a charity of your choice. In 2001, the Cafritz Foundation gave $1 million toward the Cafritz Conference Center in the University Student Center. She was 78 years old. Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz were oil and water, a marriage forged out of surprisingly dissonant elements. "I've just bought 100 acres of downtown Washington," he was fond of saying. 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.". They had a large fund-raiser for Jesse Jackson in 1988, and for Conrad's 50th birthday, Peggy gave him an enormous black-tie dinner at home. Operating under his own banner, Calvin Cafritz Enterprises, he has built both residential and commercial buildings in D.C. and Virginia. Cafritz died in 1964 of a heart attack. The Morris and. Perhaps as a result, he works hard, with much of Morris's old drive. To Edward R. Murrow, in a 1956 interview, she said that to speak of Washington cocktail parties was "unfair to Washington. Calvin's younger brothers, Conrad and Carter, are behind-the- scenes players in many business and charitable ventures players. "Getting along with her," says one developer who knows the family, "was something none of them ever mastered. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a distinguished Washington lawyer, whom he married on June 1, 2000. Through a number of different companies, he both invests in and develops all kinds of properties -- commercial, residential, retail and even industrial. 1050 30th St. NW 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 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. 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. 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. ", 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." ", Conrad Cafritz is, in a word fondly used by friends, weird. Mild, self-effacing, decorous, humble, and unfailingly courteous, Mr. Cafritz led by example and always with a smile. 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. 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. including, but not limited to, any facilities located in Washington, D.C.; Palm Beach, Florida; or Monte Carlo, Monaco." He warmly greeted staff and fellow philanthropist alike, making no distinction between people. 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. Write your message of sympathy today. He was 91. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. "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. CALVIN CAFRITZ, CARTER CAFRITZ, CONRAD CAFRITZ WILLIAM CAFRITZ AND BUFFY CAFRITZ The Cafritz name has been a Washington fi xture for almost a century, with Morris and Gwen Cafritz's 1937 Foxhall Road mansion an epicenter of D.C. social life. She was forever trying to tell me some long story I could never make head or tail of. There were of course the grand exceptions like the Warburgs, and Walter Lippmann, and Arthur Krock . a medically-induced . Influence over the city's future -- no doubt. Food has always been a go-to for people in mourning. 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. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. She was a member of Main Street Church of Christ in Monticello, AR. "There were moments when you wanted to go around and have everybody wear not just a name tag, but a bio,"says their good friend Margaret Lenzner. When the Duke and Duchess of Windsor came and danced downstairs in "the Club," with the dance floor lighted from below. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Washington, DC 20006. That's why her final victory rather delighted me. Aubinoe and Edwards also designed the Cafritzes' dramatic house on Foxhall Road. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. She was multilingual and had studied art history at the University of Budapest. Her skin had an unhealthy, pouchy pallor; extending an uncertain hand, she had the air of a dreamer deploying remembered charms. Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love. I hope they will. 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. At the least, then, Gwendolyn's will disposes of more than $140 million. No one needed to be told that this was Gwendolyn Cafritz's last hurrah. Calvin Cafritz, a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC, was born March 29, 1931, as the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz. In May, Jane Lipton Cafritz hosted a lunch that brought together a number of young opera singers and many of their supporters and admirers. ON JUNE 10, 1986, GWENDOLYN D. CAFRITZ GAVE HER LAST PARTY. Calvin Cafritz began his career with Cafritz Construction in 1947, pausing briefly to attend college and serve in the military. Finally, there is an emotional legacy to be earned -- or perhaps shed. He was 91. Washington, DC 20007 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." . (His first wife, Jennifer, has since married Laughlin Phillips, son of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips and president of the Phillips Collection.). Funeral arrangement under the care ofSAGEL BLOOMFIELD DANZANSKY GOLDBERG FUNERAL CARE INC. And Gwendolyn's estate is not, in the end, the only -- or even the main thing -- at stake. "Conrad is really an anomaly," says lawyer and real estate developer Donald Brown. In 2000, under Mr. Cafritz' leadership, the foundation's board established the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Awards for Distinguished DC Government Employees, an annual program designed to recognize and reward outstanding performance and exemplary service by locally based federal employees. He has interests too in a booming brokerage firm he helped bankroll, and in a Midwestern shopping-center conglomerate. Gwendolyn left the $14 million landmark to the foundation, with the very Gwendolyn-like wish that it become "a center in which scholars, statesmen and civic leaders may conduct research, conferences, seminars and other func-tions relating to issues of interest tomankind.". He too has denied the sons' allegations in his formal answer to their complaint. 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. (202) 338-4833, Georgetown Media Group. Home It is easy to imagine that for a son of Morris Cafritz, watching great deals go unmade is a kind of hell. 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. This time, the receiving line snaked across the long, low living room to the far wall, where the hostess was displayed in a yellow silk armchair. "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. The control of so much money, especially in a city with limited corporate philanthropy, brings enormous power. He was 91 at the time he died. It is hard not to wonder what the effect might have been of hearing Gwendolyn Cafritz's will read for the first time. In any case, he was at least 20 years older than his bride when they married in 1929. 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. All three stayed in Washington to work at some variation of their father's trade. And he still fights his battles with a surprising intensity, rarely bothering with the shake-hands-and-forget-it bonhomie common in Washington business. Late last year, Calvins wife Jane was elected to succeed her husband as the foundations president and CEO and he was named chairman emeritus.
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