Serge J-F. Levy/Associated Press

Brooke Astor, the civic leader, philanthropist and New York high society fixture, died on Aug. 13.

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NEW YORK — Brooke Astor, the civic leader, philanthropist and high society fixture who gave away nearly $200 million to support New York City's great cultural institutions and a host of humbler projects, has died. She was 105.

Astor died Monday of pneumonia at Holly Hill, her Westchester County estate in Briarcliff Manor, family lawyer Kenneth Warner said.

Although a legendary figure in New York City and feted with a famous gala on her 100th birthday in March 2002, Astor was mostly interested in putting the fortune that husband Vincent Astor left to use helping others.

Her efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.

"Money is like manure, it should be spread around" was her oft-quoted motto. There has been a lot to spread in the family ever since Vincent Astor's great-great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor, made a fortune in fur trading and New York real estate.

Brooke Astor gave millions to what she called the city's "crown jewels" - among them the New York Public Library, Carnegie Hall, the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, the Bronx Zoo and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

She also funded scores of smaller projects: Harlem's Apollo Theater, a new boiler for a youth center, beachside bungalow preservation, a church pipe organ and furniture for homeless families moving into apartments.

The final year of Astor's life was marred by a family feud over her care. Papers filed in July 2006 alleged her final years were marred by neglect, and in a settlement three months later her son, Anthony Marshall, was replaced as her legal guardian with Annette de la Renta, wife of the fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.

Marshall's son Philip Marshall had alleged that his father was looting his grandmother's estate and allowing her to live in filthy conditions. Anthony Marshall, a former diplomat and sometime Broadway producer, denied wrongdoing.

In December, a judge ruled that claims "regarding Astor's medical and dental care, and the other allegations of intentional elder abuse" by Anthony Marshall were not substantiated.