A memorial service will be held at a later date. He was 91. 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. CAFRITZ James Edward Cafritz James Edward Cafritz of Bethesda, MD, passed away on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at the age of 90. Through a number of different companies, he both invests in and develops all kinds of properties -- commercial, residential, retail and even industrial. He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. Most of the band's song titles are too profane for citation in mainstream reviews (or newspaper magazines such as this); one, a song that would surely have outraged the vocalist/guitarist's grandparents, is titled "You Look Like a Jew.". And Gwendolyn's estate is not, in the end, the only -- or even the main thing -- at stake. He was 91. There are no events at this time. "Old Washington was very antisemitic, as you know," continues Vidal, whose childhood here as the stepson of lawyer and investor Hugh D. Auchincloss and the grandson of Oklahoma Sen. Thomas Gore gave him an intimate education in Washington society. Remembering Calvin Cafritz - The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation In the 1400 block of Spring Road NW is a row of seven almost identical walk-up apartment buildings. From the others he solicited their names, bending to murmur prompts into the ear of the star. Site design by, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation. 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. ", While she cultivated the mighty, Morris looked closer to home, helping to found the Washington Community Chest, becoming an activist in local Jewish groups. Required fields are marked *. Cafritz is survived by his third wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a Washington lawyer whom he married in 2000; his three children; three stepchildren (including Olivia Rubenstein, who earned a masters degree from GSEHD in 2018); and numerous grandchildren and step-grandchildren, as well as his brother, Conrad Cafritz, chairman and CEO of Cafritz Interests. "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. He was preceded in death by his brother Carter Cafritz. 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. Devoted father to Laurence (Sherri) Cafritz and Jodi (Mark Bronsky) Cafr . In the process, he amassed one of the first great fortunes to be carved out of Washington itself. 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. But it has that air of a property just turning past ripeness, toward seed. 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). Washington Life Magazine: June 2007:WEALTH LIST Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. March 29, 1931 - He was 91 at the time he died. She was born January 30, 1936 in Kennett, MO to the late David Richard Roberts and Betty Burbank Roberts. "He's part of a legendary family, and he's the only one who seems interested in keeping up the legend," says one friend. Calvin Cafritz, the eldest son of real estate developer Morris Cafritz, died last week at the age of 91. At the least, then, Gwendolyn's will disposes of more than $140 million. 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. Mr. Cafritz' grace, elegance, discernment, desire for excellence, and commitment to making the most of every day and every situation will continue to inspire and motivate all who knew and loved him. Marvin LaVerne Katz, 83, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on November 22, 2019 in Dallas. He died on Thursday, Jan. 12, at age 91. Power List 2010: DC Family Dynasties - Washington Life Magazine 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. 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. 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. An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. At the time the lawsuit was filed, family sources told The Washington Post that the marital trust was worth $84 million. 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. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. In the last half-century, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has awarded more than $507 million in grants. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. . Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer and head of the Cafritz Foundation, dies . But its true targets are two longtime advisers who are executors of her estate: Martin Atlas, for decades the closest business associate of both Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz, and William P. Rogers, the former attorney general and secretary of state who was Gwendolyn's personal attorney. They're more like the French salons.". In any case, he was at least 20 years older than his bride when they married in 1929. 5.8K. . He too has denied the sons' allegations in his formal answer to their complaint. Her two younger sons have also filed a separate petition that pursues only the marital trust. What do the younger sons of the celebrated Washington hostess hope to gain by waging legal war over their mother's will? 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. 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. There he built the massive River House apartments; his estate eventually sold most of the land for others to develop. 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. All three stayed in Washington to work at some variation of their father's trade. The mission of the foundation is improving the quality of life for all Washington, D.C., metropolitan-area residents, Boerstling said. Its annual reports list a fairly traditional, staid set of beneficiaries, and its grants are studied by an advisory board heavily weighted toward the kind of high-profile, high-society arts philanthropy that Gwendolyn favored: Among the members are National Gallery of Art Director J. Carter Brown, retired Smithsonian secretary S. Dillon Ripley and retired librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin, as well Carolyn Deaver, wife of former White House deputy chief of staff Michael K. Deaver, and a social friend of Gwendolyn's, Mrs. Tazewell Shepard. For him, philanthropy required partnerships that are broad, diverse, and extensive. "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. This suit asks the court to overturn her will, after which, under D.C. law, her property would be divided among her sons. "Right at the moment he could be most charming, he does something to undercut it," says one friend. Gradually, as Gwendolyn took command of it, its character changed. 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. 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. 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 is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Jane Lipton Cafritz, a distinguished Washington lawyer, whom he married on June 1, 2000. 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. Obituary | Betty Colvin of Warren, Arkansas | Frazer's Funeral Home Calvin R Cafritz, (202) 223-3100, 1642 29th St NW, Washington, DC "I'm sure part of it was to show Herb Miller he was serious.". CALVIN FRITZ OBITUARY Wyoming - Calvin "Roger" Fritz, 69, of Wyoming, passed away at 5:29 p.m. Friday, December 24, 2021 at his home. January 12, 2023 So he began buying real estate speculatively, and in 1920 opened a real estate office on 15th Street NW. He was 91. Conrad, who was a losing bidder for the job, waged a lengthy challenge, arguing that Western was giving short shrift to the minority partners whose participation qualified the partnership for the contract award; though he finally lost last year, he succeeded in forcing a renegotiation of terms between Western and the Redevelopment Land Agency. 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,. The foundation is Washington's largest source of private funds earmarked exclusively for local projects, large enough to give the person who controls it a potentially shaping influence on the city. Was believed to be 102. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories on our Tribute Wall. And by 1970, arts and humanities took the largest share of the funding. 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. The Cafritz Foundation is also responsible for developing Art Place at Fort Totten, a huge mixed-use project in the Northeast D.C. area. ", She kept up appearances even in the privacy of her home, where she drank Scotch from a decanter in the living room. Calvin Cafritz, D.C. developer, businessman and philanthropist has died Marvin Katz was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Dr. Donald LaVerne Katz and Lila Maxine Katz on December 12, 1935. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. Published by The Washington Post on Jan. 22, 2023. In Memoriam: Calvin Cafritz | GW Today | The George Washington University By 1915 he was known locally as "The Bowling King" but still restlessly sought an opportunity that would truly engage him. Website by Red Clay Creative, Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. Two and a half years later Gwendolyn Cafritz was dead of cancer, at 78, and the following summer -- three years after that final party -- her two younger sons filed suit in D.C. Superior Court to have her will overturned and her estate, worth at least $140 million, divided among her children. 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. Peggy Cooper Cafritz, grande dame of the Washington arts and education You have funeral questions, we have answers. Calvin Cafritz Obituary (1931 - 2023) | Rockville, Maryland 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 {Gwendolyn} was just considered comical, and there were a lot of jokes about her. 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. 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. Her gown, as in the past, was spectacularly formal: folds of purple satin sweeping to her ankles beneath a fitted bodice. 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 house on Foxhall Road, completed in 1938, was explicitly designed to fulfill that ambition. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. 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. 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. 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. David Kessler's top 4 tips for dealing with holiday grief. ", Gwendolyn reportedly raised her children according to the dictates of her European background -- under the aegis of servants, to be seen and not heard. For another, he is said to alternate in seconds between a manic intensity and a mumbling diffidence. January 2023 - Page 189 - obituaries death If she gave them an order, they took it lightly, because she liked to drink. 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. 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..