The History

The Caffrey Estate was built in 1936 based on the vision of Dorothy Caffrey—once known as Dorothy Cruikshank Snyder Cochran—whose journey of reinvention and resilience is a true reflection of the American dream.

An Ambitious Beginning
Born in 1898 in New York, Dorothy Cruikshank inherited a fortune from her grandfather, Brooklyn real estate developer E.A. Cruikshank. As a young woman in the 1920s, she pursued acting and earned the Earl Carroll Award for Best Actress at the Little Theater Tournament in New York, standing out among 20 competing groups.

Royal Love and European Elegance
Dorothy later turned her attention to love—briefly marrying a doctor, becoming engaged to a lawyer, and ultimately being swept into European high society through her marriage to Prince Nicholas Karageorgevitch, a Yugoslavian royal and artist. The couple lived in France, where Nicholas painted many portraits of Dorothy—some of which remain treasured pieces of the estate’s history. Their passionate but troubled relationship ended in tragedy due to Nicholas’s struggles with alcoholism, prompting Dorothy’s return to the U.S. in search of a new beginning.

Reinvention in Reno
In 1930, she divorced the prince and met Willis “Bill” Caffrey, a Reno-based dairy rancher and garage proprietor. Trading European elegance for Western roots, Dorothy found something far more enduring—true partnership, lasting love, and stability. Together, they built the Colonial Revival home that would become The Caffrey Estate. More than a residence, the estate became a cultural hub, hosting social events, book clubs, and artist gatherings with members of Reno’s National League of American Pen Women and The Twentieth Century Club. Dorothy—an amateur actress and devoted writer—held poetry readings, musical performances, and glittering soirées. As a published poet and novelist, she shared her reflections on love, loss, and resilience, while also championing local theater and the arts. Her support nurtured a vibrant creative community within her home.

A Lasting Legacy
In her later years, Dorothy turned her focus to philanthropy. She began with the American Friends of France and went on to found a new war relief association. She served as Chairwoman of Reno’s chapter of the British War Relief Association of Northern California (later reorganized as the War Relief Organization of Nevada), led Reno’s chapter of American Friends of France, and acted as chief lieutenant of the local American Red Cross. Dorothy passed in 1970, but her vision and creative spirit continue to inspire the community through The Caffrey Estate's ongoing commitment to the arts and philanthropy.