Fire Destroys NW D.C. Mansion

A large fire in northwest D.C. destroyed the home of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, a local arts patron, on the night of July 29.

A sculpture stands in mute witness to the devastation of Peggy Cooper Cafritz's northwest D.C. home.

Bill O'leary-TWP

A firefighter steps over a tangle of hoses in front of the destroyed house.

Bill O'leary-TWP

Cafritz, a local arts patron, was not at home when her northwest mansion caught fire during the night. Nobody was harmed.

Bill O'leary-TWP

Fire hoses snake past a hydrant a few yards from the house. Local water pressure may have been a factor as firefighters sought to save the house.

Bill O'leary-TWP

Water streams through the ruined structure as firefighters work to douse any leftover embers.

Bill O'leary-TWP

Fire hoses snake up Chain Bridge Rd. to the house.

Bill O'leary-TWP

A marble sculpture in the back yard. Cafritz is a well-known patron of the arts, particularly of works by minority artists. Much of her collection was lost in the fire.

Bill O'leary-TWP

Cafritz, a founder of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, says her collection had been appraised, but she declined to give its value. The majority of the collection was in the house.

Lucian Perkins-The Washington Post

Jack Shainman describes Kerry James Marshall's piece, "Power to the People," as "accumulative," meaning that the artist, over his life time, continues to add to it. The work is intended to grow and take on new meanings.

Courtesy Of Jack Shainman Galler-Courtesy of Jack Shainman Galler

Over the past 20 years, Cafritz had amassed a trove of works by important living artists, including an untitled mixed media piece by Radcliffe Bailey from 2005.

Courtesy Of Jack Shainman Galler-Courtesy of Jack Shainman Galler

"Basketball and Chain" by Hank Willis Thomas, who met Cafritz when he was a 15-year-old student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. An entire room in her mansion was devoted to his work.

Courtesy Of Jack Shainman Galler-Courtesy of Jack Shainman Galler

Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor, Producer Sam Funt Text Editor Sarah Mimms

Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content.

This Story Water Pressure During NW Fire Hampered Aid Article \| District firefighters battling the blaze that gutted an upper Northwest mansion Wednesday night had grave difficulties finding enough water to douse the flames, despite promises from city officials two years ago that the water problems that had plagued them at previous fires would be fixed. Fire Scorches the City's Cultural Landscape, Too Bonfire of the Humanities Fire Destroys NW D.C. Mansion Blaze Destroys Home of Former Board of Ed President Full Coverage: Washington Water and Sewer Authority THE ESTATES Link: "O" Magazine Feature on the Cafritz Mansion This Story Pipe, Location Caused Water Flow Problems at Cafritz Fire, Report Says Article \| Water pressure problems that hampered firefighting at the home of civic activist Peggy Cooper Cafritz last week resulted from "a unique set of circumstances" involving an aged water main and the elevation and layout of streets in Cafritz's Northwest Washington neighborhood, D.C. officials said in... Fire Scorches the City's Cultural Landscape, Too Bonfire of the Humanities Water Pressure During NW Fire Hampered Aid Water Pressure Problems Factor in Cafritz Fire Fire Destroys NW D.C. Mansion One Blaze, Nine Hydrants Special Report: D.C. Water and Sewer Authority		TOOLBOX E-Mail This Save/Share + Digg Facebook Reddit Twitter myspace del.icio.us NewsTrust Stumble It! COMMENT 0 Comments Your browser's settings may be preventing you from commenting on and viewing comments about this item. See instructions for fixing the problem. Discussion Policy CLOSE Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Who's Blogging » Links to this gallery		More on washingtonpost.com • More Photo News » washingtonpost.com
» This Story:Read +\|Watch +\| Comments » This Story:Read +\|Watch +\| Comments

Jobs | Cars | Real Estate | Rentals | Classifieds

SEARCH:

Search Archives

The Washington Post Company: Information and Other Post Co. Websites

Help | Contact Us