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? 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. a medically-induced . The same plain white damask draped the table, with plain white damask napkins tied around settings of her heavy Georg Jensen flatware. 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. "He just wanted to build, build, build, build!" 91. Vidal wrote, "Irene's evening dress was much too vivid, too personal, too fashionable for the calculated dowdiness" of a dinner in old-line Washington. CAFRITZ James Edward Cafritz James Edward Cafritz of Bethesda, MD, passed away on Tuesday, December 22, 2020, at the age of 90. 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. Obituary. There he built the massive River House apartments; his estate eventually sold most of the land for others to develop. Calvin Cafritz Death - Calvin Cafritz, a real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist in the District of Columbia, passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at Sibley Memorial Hospital. No one needed to be told that this was Gwendolyn Cafritz's last hurrah. "She wanted something, and she put up with a lot of {expletive}, and she got it. Read more on bizjournals.com. For one thing, he has a dark, avowedly cynical sense of humor. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Marvin LaVerne Katz, 83, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on November 22, 2019 in Dallas. Cafritz exemplified what it means to be an inspirational leader and a great human being, said Pyatybratova. What do the younger sons of the celebrated Washington hostess hope to gain by waging legal war over their mother's will? ", Conrad and Carter Cafritz have chosen instead the purgatory of probate court, where their complaints suggest less lovely memories. But he believes her drinking was a source of family discord. 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. A minor but colorful part of Cafritz's legacy was an idea borrowed from Harry Wardman, his predecessor as the leader of the field. 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. "Conrad is really an anomaly," says lawyer and real estate developer Donald Brown. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Her hair was still a lacquered black, heavily dressed as always at the back of her head. 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. Mr. Cafritz was married previously two times; his first wife was Enid Cafritz and his second wife was Joyce Smith. 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. It took lawyers and IRS agents 4 years to settle the estate, which was valued in 1968 at $66 million. . 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. Gwendolyn Cafritz, a leading Washington hostess, died of cancer Tuesday at her home in the capital. But it has that air of a property just turning past ripeness, toward seed. In high school, for example, Conrad stood out even among his privileged classmates at St. Albans. Meanwhile, for as long as it takes, Conrad's childhood home turns a sleeping face to Foxhall Road, drapes drawn at all the windows. If you know of an upcoming event for Calvin Cafritz, please add one. All rights reserved. ", 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. "Carter, he always did what the other two did," says Casey. He was "greatly respected and liked, even in an antisemitic society," recalls Dixon. 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.". None of the Cafritz sons can be said to need the money that is at stake. 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. 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 she had a disconcertingly self-serious way of advertising it. Devoted father to Laurence (Sherri) Cafritz and Jodi (Mark Bronsky) Cafr . ", She kept up appearances even in the privacy of her home, where she drank Scotch from a decanter in the living room. 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. But Carter and Conrad Cafritz are not named in their mother's will. "He's part of a legendary family, and he's the only one who seems interested in keeping up the legend," says one friend. 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. He has interests too in a booming brokerage firm he helped bankroll, and in a Midwestern shopping-center conglomerate. Tech Tip: How to Turn Documents and Images into PDFs in Android. But maybe they just don't want Gwen Cafritz to have the last word. 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. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. The best poems for funerals, memorial services., and cards. He left it as follows: Half to the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation. Was believed to be 102. (202) 338-4833, Georgetown Media Group. 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. . Rogers had served as her personal attorney since her husband, Washington real estate magnate Morris Cafritz, died in 1964. He was 91 years of age. Cafritz was a native and longtime resident of Washington, DC. "Calvin is a very sweet, very nice person," says D.C. lawyer Max N. Berry. Calvin Cafritz, their eldest son, became Board Chairman in 1989 and in 1993, he was elected President and CEO of the Foundation. 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Her statements in the press, even the adoring press of yore, suggest at the least a daunting mother. At the same time, he and Tompkins had the foresight to buy the land now known as Pentagon City. Mr. Cafritz is also survived by his brother Conrad Cafritz. 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. But he's much different from his father, in a lot of ways. One possible reason for that -- and for any bitterness that might motivate the lawsuit -- is suggested by the suit's underlying argument: "For many years, beginning at a time not precisely known to plaintiffs, but at least by the time of the death of the late Morris Cafritz, the Decedent began suffering from a number of conditions that resulted in physical and mental debilitation," reads the complaint. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via the. 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. He was 91. Distinguished D.C. Government Employees Recognized at Cafritz Awards Gala, Office of Communications & Marketing They have helped us to be innovative and to expand. By the time of her death, however, Calvin was still the son closest to his mother. Small grants went to 15 more Jewish charities, and the rest to such local charities as boys clubs and hospital funds. To one interviewer she said that art was "the theme, you might say" of her life, "as in a Wagnerian opera." She could no longer make an entrance, of course. 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. You have funeral questions, we have answers. Write your message of sympathy today. Where he was meat and potatoes, earnest frugality, civic pride, she was flashing dark beauty, mercurial moods and social ambition. 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. There is, for example, the very palpable legacy of real estate developed by Morris Cafritz, including several lots and office buildings downtown. Yet in Morris's absence, the family was anything but the tight-knit dynasty he had paved the way for. Mr. Cafritz began his career with Cafritz Construction Company in 1947. Of the three sons, Calvin seems to have had the best relationship with his mother. 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.". In July 1993, he was elected President and CEO of the Foundation and in the last six months became Chairman Emeritus. 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. ", Conrad Cafritz is, in a word fondly used by friends, weird. 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.". Required fields are marked *. But he reached outside that circle when he finally married. ", 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. 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.". There are no events scheduled. And {Gwendolyn} was just considered comical, and there were a lot of jokes about her. "That black sense of humor asserts itself, or he'll do something outrageous." Finally, there is an emotional legacy to be earned -- or perhaps shed. But public records show that, like any organization privately controlled by a very small number of people, it is very susceptible to change by a determined leader. Throughout his career he was recognized not only for his natural intuitive insight but also for his in-depth study and acute analysis of every possibility for investment in real estate. ", High culture was one of her chosen routes to acceptance. She is survived by her daughter Jane Cafritz (Calvin) of Washington, DC, five grandchildren: James Speyer, Irina Rubenstein and . What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative? Chances are, many Washingtonians might not even realize how much real estate the Cafritz family is responsible for in the area. 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. 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. Gwendolyn Cafritz died of cancer last November. Calvin Cafritz Rockville, Maryland March 29, 1931 - January 12, 2023 Share Obituary: Tribute Wall Obituary & Events Share a memory Send Flowers Obituary An obituary is not available at this time for Calvin Cafritz. Mr. Cafritz said that the awards are designed to "shine a light on the contributions of extraordinary government employees. All rights reserved. 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. All are multimillionaires, and Conrad Cafritz, by most accounts the prime instigator of the lawsuit, has spun his inheritance from his father into a vast personal fortune of at minimum $100 million. Late last year, Calvins wife Jane was elected to succeed her husband as the foundations president and CEO and he was named chairman emeritus. ", 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). Calvin, 58, who finds himself a defendant in this lawsuit, is usually described as gentlemanly, methodical and reserved. The family observed Jewish holidays, and the sons attended religious school at Washington Hebrew Congregation on weekends. 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. In the process, he amassed one of the first great fortunes to be carved out of Washington itself. 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. 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. 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. Home 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. He also is a director. 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. From the others he solicited their names, bending to murmur prompts into the ear of the star. He resigned seven years later to form Cafritz Enterprises. We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time. Atlas too declined to comment, but he issued a statement when the suit was filed saying that he had no role in drafting the will, and no advance knowledge of its contents. 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. Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you. 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.
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