Lee-Benson House (1834)

The Lee-Benson House, on Chestnut Street in Salem, was built in 1834-1835 for John C. Lee, a banker who, with George Higginson, founded Lee, Higginson & Co., a prominent Boston-based investment bank. In 1924, Lee’s heirs sold the house to the artist Frank Weston Benson. After his death in 1951, Benson‘s heirs continued to owned the house until 1957. Benson is known for his impressionist portraits and his etchings which conveyed his love of the sportsman’s life.