All Rights Reserved. The foundation, which Calvin led for over 30 years (after his mother Gwendolyn died in 1988), focuses on programs in the arts and humanities. Cafritzs encouragement has particularly strengthened the Washington-area communitys appreciation of textiles as a vital form of artistic expression and global cultural heritage.". Mr. "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. 1050 30th St. NW "Conrad was persistent as hell in getting that project," says one person familiar with Conrad's business. Since 1989, Cafritz led the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, a charitable organization named for his parents. 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. They're more like the French salons.". Following the death of his father, Calvin became president of The Cafritz Co., Cafritz Construction Co. and Ambassador, Inc. in 1964. Gradually, he branched into entertainment, operating the first open-air movies in Washington (a matter of setting up chairs in vacant lots), and then a bowling alley and pool hall in Southeast, near the Navy Yard. Write your message of sympathy today. Influence over the city's future -- no doubt. 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. And Gwendolyn's estate is not, in the end, the only -- or even the main thing -- at stake. 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). He was "greatly respected and liked, even in an antisemitic society," recalls Dixon. Irene Bloch, as she is called, is a wealthy department store owner's wife who mounts a relentless campaign for acceptance in Washington society. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. 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. "She was a classic case," summarizes Vidal. ", Interviews suggest the sons will not lack for evidence to support their argument. "The decanter always had to be full," Dowling says. 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. Aubinoe and Edwards also designed the Cafritzes' dramatic house on Foxhall Road. 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. Except for minor bequests to former employees and other family members, she also left to the foundation all of the property she owned outright. "She was not, as they say, invited anywhere at the beginning," recalls Gore Vidal, whose novel Washington, D.C. includes a character "suggested," he says, by Gwendolyn Cafritz. There is no photo or video of Calvin Cafritz.Be the first to share a memory to pay tribute. 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. Waiters passed shrimp with cocktail sauce, while full bars offered prehistoric spirits such as bourbon and gin, defiant holdouts in the age of chardonnay and bottled water. 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. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies at 91. bizjournals.com - Michael Neibauer 20h. He has interests too in a booming brokerage firm he helped bankroll, and in a Midwestern shopping-center conglomerate. Calvin H. Frazier (February 16, 1915 - September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Rogers had served as her personal attorney since her husband, Washington real estate magnate Morris Cafritz, died in 1964. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. Through a number of different companies, he both invests in and develops all kinds of properties -- commercial, residential, retail and even industrial. 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. The holdings also include a major share of the two Universal buildings at Connecticut and Florida avenues NW, and shares of the massive River House apartment buildings in Pentagon City. Of the three Cafritz sons, says restaurateur Herb White, "Conrad seems to be the one who has something to prove to himself.". 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. Once grown, the sons established limited, perfunctory contacts with their mother. Rachel was a daughter of the late Abraham and Chierney Yarowsky. January 12, 2023 The George Washington University community is remembering the life of Calvin Cafritz, a businessman, philanthropist and longtime supporter of GW. An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. He will always be remembered and loved by our team and the thousands of people whose lives he touched for his humility, kindness and willingness to go above and beyond in service of our great city and community.. It is hard to imagine, in this competitive atmosphere, that a single person could have dominated the field as Morris Cafritz once did. Rachel M. Ratowsky, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz were oil and water, a marriage forged out of surprisingly dissonant elements. All three had become local real estate developers, successful, if less spectacular, emulators of their father. Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. The judge's decision, though in favor of Conrad and Carter Cafritz, is of little. Special Neighborhood Hang Out: Say Cheese! Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. His faith was great enough to lead him into investments that would later seem visionary: He developed the Temple Heights tract at Connecticut and Florida, for example, buying the land in 1945 with developer Charles H. Tompkins and sitting on it for 12 years before selling the northern part for development of the Washington Hilton, and building the two Universal Buildings on the southern part of the site. "He's creative, he's smart, also ambitious, like his father. 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. In 2021 alone, the foundation awarded some 430 grants to 413 nonprofits. The entire time, he fought with gloves off, publicly charging his rivals with bad faith. Yet in Morris's absence, the family was anything but the tight-knit dynasty he had paved the way for. 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. He is a leading supporter of the Global India Fund, and the Ukapav Indian-American Scholarship Foundation. The mission of the foundation is improving the quality of life for all Washington, D.C., metropolitan-area residents, Boerstling said. January 27, 2023. Carter Cafritz, who sits on the board of WETA, began his career in partnership with Conrad, building apartments and town houses in and around the city. Calvin's younger brothers, Conrad and Carter, are behind-the- scenes players in many business and charitable ventures players. 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." But the fourth square in the plot remains empty; Gwendolyn Cafritz was memorialized in a Presbyterian church and had herself buried far north in Rockville's Parklawn Cemetery, among strangers. "Lots of times she could drink and she knew exactly what she was doing. 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. You have funeral questions, we have answers. 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. His father, Morris, established one of the Washington region's leading philanthropic entities, the Morris and . It is easy to imagine that for a son of Morris Cafritz, watching great deals go unmade is a kind of hell. Because Gwendolyn's estate has not been probated, its value is hard to establish. Each is in his second marriage; each is in some way involved in the arts. In May, Jane Lipton Cafritz hosted a lunch that brought together a number of young opera singers and many of their supporters and admirers. They have helped us to be innovative and to expand. a medically-induced . Betty Lou Roberts Colvin, age 84 of Warren, AR passed away November 5, 2020 at Chapel Woods Nursing Home in Warren, AR. To one interviewer she said that art was "the theme, you might say" of her life, "as in a Wagnerian opera." Yet Morris made little impression on Gwendolyn's social world, and she often went out or took vacations alone. And by 1970, arts and humanities took the largest share of the funding. 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. As time went on, she lost complete control, and she had to drink more. He also has three children, five grandchildren and three stepchildren. 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? He was an excellent listener and always got both the big picture and important details by asking insightful questions. "Maybe we try a little harder because our family name is well-known," he told a reporter in 1965. Despite leaving a fragmented recording history, both as a singer and guitarist, Frazier was an associate of Robert Johnson, and recorded alongside Johnny Shines, Sampson Pittman, T.J. Fowler, Alberta Adams, Jimmy Milner, Baby Boy Warren, Boogie Woogie . Site design by, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation. 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.". His commitment to causes and institutions extended beyond writing checks to giving time and energy. Cafritz developed real estate here for more than four decades, until his death in 1964, and by the sheer volume and variety of his building activities was for a time the undisputed king of his field. She carried her isolation to her grave. The Cafritz Foundation is also responsible for developing Art Place at Fort Totten, a huge mixed-use project in the Northeast D.C. area. 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. He was for years the president of the Jewish Community Center and donated the land for its first headquarters on Q Street NW. Beginning with single-family houses, moving on to apartment houses and office buildings, he managed to dodge the Depression and was well positioned to preside over the city's transforming boom during and after World War II (see box, Page 20). Only between the lines or in conversations with old friends can one make out how nakedly she wore her ambitions, and how hard she was working to measure up. There are hints too that he has social ambitions on Gwendolyn's scale, if not exactly of her type. 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. Conrad and his first wife entertained often in their Georgetown house in the '60s, giving parties -- often liberal fund-raisers -- that offered cozy intimations of radical chic. 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. 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. And he still fights his battles with a surprising intensity, rarely bothering with the shake-hands-and-forget-it bonhomie common in Washington business. All rights reserved. Then, in 1988, came the announcement that Conrad Cafritz, with Japanese partners, had bought Washington Harbour, the glitzy development below K Street in Georgetown that had been troubled from its opening; the original developer of Washington Harbour was Western. Age: 91 years old Also known as: Mr Calvin Cafritz, Calvin Cafritz View Full Report Mobile number ADS View Current Number Landline number (202) 223-3100 Email addresses ccafritz@cafritzfoundation.org Relatives Calvin Cafritz Jane Cafritz Current address 1642 29th St NW, Washington, DC, 20007-2901 See more results for Calvin Cafritz So if some of these nostalgic callers had once doubted or mocked her, with her grand house and her grand airs and her husband's enormous fortune, it was surely too late, in 1986, for any of these social acquaintances to want to shatter this fading legend. 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. 2017-2023 Tribute Archive. In plain English, Gwendolyn Cafritz's two younger sons are contending in court that their mother was too feebleminded to write her will; document requests filed in court suggest they may try to prove she was incapacitated by alcoholism. There was no one she would not invite to dinner, sometimes calling the offices of Cabinet secretaries to ask for any day in the next year when the secretary would be free. What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? It's surprising how much a musical selection can affect mourning. She was forever trying to tell me some long story I could never make head or tail of. Another longtime beneficiary of Cafritz Foundation support has been The Textile Museum. Money -- to be sure. That's why her final victory rather delighted me. 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. When he died, his estate would be the largest ever probated in the District of Columbia; it would take teams of lawyers and IRS agents four years to settle the estate, finally valued in 1968 at $66 million. She was born January 30, 1936 in Kennett, MO to the late David Richard Roberts and Betty Burbank Roberts. That's what we call a success story. 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. 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. You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Calvin Cafritz. Gradually, as Gwendolyn took command of it, its character changed. 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. The suit was filed by the middle and youngest Cafritz sons, Carter, 53, and Conrad, 51. But Gwendolyn sometimes took pains to tell friends that she herself was not Jewish. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. The importance of saying "I love you" during COVID-19, Effective ways of dealing with the grieving process, Solutions to show your sympathy safely during the Covid-19 pandemic, SAGEL BLOOMFIELD DANZANSKY GOLDBERG FUNERAL CARE INC. Here, beyond the threshold, was the stunning circular entrance hall, dramatic enough to live up to the woman who once swept down the stairs to greet her guests. Calvin Cafritz, a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC, was born March 29, 1931, as the eldest son of Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz. "I just thought she maybe had had enough of running around, and she was maybe going to stay in a while. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. But it has that air of a property just turning past ripeness, toward seed. Her skin had an unhealthy, pouchy pallor; extending an uncertain hand, she had the air of a dreamer deploying remembered charms. . He too has denied the sons' allegations in his formal answer to their complaint. But they also sort of outraged people." ", High culture was one of her chosen routes to acceptance. Even her friends laughed at the way she would seat herself intently in the lobby of the Paris Hotel in Monte Carlo, at a table "very strategically placed," in the words of one, to court the passing society. 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. . 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. She appears every week on the WETA-TV arts show "Around Town." 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. 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. 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. He never tired of committing himself to this mission, which only grew bigger with time. 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." He also is a director. 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. . Named in the lawsuit, besides Calvin, is everyone to whom Gwendolyn Cafritz made a bequest, including her former servants and grandchildren, two nephews and an old escort. ", 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. He had emigrated from Russia as a boy with his family, which stopped briefly in New York before settling down to run a grocery store at 24th and P streets NW. 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. He warmly greeted staff and fellow philanthropist alike, making no distinction between people. Add a photo or a video He has assembled a group of about 14 local hotels, including the Georgetown Inn and One Washington Circle. But he believes her drinking was a source of family discord. "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. Send simple, comforting meals with Home Chef. 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. For him, philanthropy required partnerships that are broad, diverse, and extensive. 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. Read more on bizjournals.com. "He just wanted to build, build, build, build!" Late last year, Calvins wife Jane was elected to succeed her husband as the foundations president and CEO and he was named chairman emeritus. The house on Foxhall Road, completed in 1938, was explicitly designed to fulfill that ambition. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. She is survived by her daughter Jane Cafritz (Calvin) of Washington, DC, five grandchildren: James Speyer, Irina Rubenstein and . 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. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Then there is the foundation itself, with its powerful endowment for the city. 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. He was 91 at the time he died. 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. 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. . 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. I hope they will. "Right at the moment he could be most charming, he does something to undercut it," says one friend. In 2001, the Cafritz Foundation gave $1 million toward the Cafritz Conference Center in the University Student Center. One interrogatory demands that Riggs National Bank, which was Gwendolyn's bank, "identify all individuals or facilities that, from 1954 until Gwendolyn Cafritz' death, provided to Gwendolyn Cafritz any care, advice, counseling, or treatment relating to her consumption of alcohol . He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. All of their lives, the Cafritz boys have been aware of their status as the sons of Morris and Gwendolyn.
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