Morris Cafritz
Morris Cafritz | |
---|---|
Born | Lithuania |
Died | 1964 (aged 76–77) |
Nationality | United States |
Occupation | Real estate developer |
Spouse(s) | Gwendolyn Detre de Surany |
Children | Calvin Cafritz Carter Cafritz Conrad Cafritz |
Morris Cafritz (1887? - 1964) was a Washington, D.C. real estate developer, and philanthropist.
Life
Cafritz was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania that immigrated to Washington, D.C. in 1898.[1] His family lived at 2706 N Street, in Georgetown. He bought produce for his father's grocery store. He studied at the Corcoran School.[2] He studied at the National Law University. He bought the Star Coal and Coke Company, at 315 Q Street. In 1911, he owned a saloon, the Old-Timer's Bar, at 8th Street and K Street, Southwest, Washington, D.C.[3] He operated bowling alleys.
He joined his cousin, in the development of Park Place, near 7th Street.[4] In 1922, he started the development of Petworth, where he sold houses for $8,950,[5] or financed for $1 down and $75 a month.[6] He developed the Greenwich Forest neighborhood.[7] He built the Ambassador Hotel, at 14th and K Street; the Westchester Apartments in 1932;[8] and the Majestic Apartments.[9]
He built a home at 2301 Foxhall Road, N.W.[10] In 1949, he built the Cafritz Building, at 1625 Eye Street.[11] He developed along K Street, building office buildings at 1725 K, 1725 I, and 1735 I Streets.[12]
Philanthropy
He was a charter member of the YMHA, in Washington, D.C. He raised $250,000 to build the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center.[13][14] He was president of the Jewish Community Center.[15] In 1964, he offered to donate the Keith theater as a performing arts center.[16]
He founded the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, in 1948,[17] funding it with half his estate, $11 1/2 million.[18] The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is now Washington, D.C.'s largest private foundation with assets of $735,000,000. Foundation gives annual charitable grants of $20,000,000 to various non profits in the Washington, D.C. area. The Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts is named for him.[19][20]
Family
In July 1929, he married Gwendolyn Detre de Surany, an immigrant of Hungarian descent and twenty years his junior;[21][22][23] they had three children: Calvin, Carter and Conrad.[24] His granddaughter is musician and guitarist Julia Cafritz. Their home was located on Foxhall Road and is now the home of the Field School.[24]
References
- ↑ Jewish Washington: "Real Estate Boom" retrieved September 18. 2014
- ↑ Solomon, pp. 1-2
- ↑ Solomon, p. 11
- ↑ Solomon, pp. 14
- ↑ Solomon, p. 16
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/historic/documents/RevisedGreenwichForestHD_MIHPform_8202009.pdf
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Soloman, p. 32
- ↑ Solomon, pp. 68-70
- ↑ Solomon, p. 115
- ↑ Solomon, pp. 18-19
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Solomon, p. 368
- ↑ Solomon, p. 114
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Solomon, p. 153
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Solomon, p. 368
- ↑ Graham, Katharine Katharine Graham's Washington
- ↑ Solomon, p.22
- ↑ Christie's website retrieved October 18, 2014 | A Hungarian-American beauty, Gwendolyn Detre de Surany in 1929 married Morris Cafritz, twenty years her senior and, at the time, one of city's most eligible bachelors
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Sources
- Burt Solomon, The Washington Century: Three Families and the Shaping of the Nation's Capital, William Morrow, November 9, 2004, ISBN 978-0-06-621372-9
External links
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Pages with broken file links
- Real estate and property developers
- 1964 deaths
- American philanthropists
- American Jews
- American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent
- Lithuanian emigrants to the United States
- Lithuanian Jews
- Year of birth uncertain
- American real estate businesspeople