Duke-Semans mansion, which was originally owned by Benjamin N. Duke, sold for $44 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Duke's descendants owed the mansion until for over a century before selling it in 2006 for $40 million.
Benjamin Duke was a tobacco magnate and a major benefactor to the University after it moved to Durham in 1892. He is currently honored on campus through the B. N. Duke Memorial Organ (located in the Duke Chapel), the B.N. Duke Scholars program and a statue on East Campus.
But despite his dedication to the school, "Mr. Ben"—as he was informally known—was not as visible of a figure as some other members of the Duke family, according to a Duke University Libraries biography:
For all of Ben Duke's support, the most modest and retiring of the Duke brothers long had only a single sign identifying his gifts on campus. The stone column to the right at the main entrance to East Campus has a plaque dated July 12, 1915, acknowledging that the granite wall circling the campus is a gift of B. N. Duke. To the average visitor, Benjamin N. Duke remained unknown since he had no public statue dominating the campus like that of his father on East or his brother on West.
The $44 million price tag represents the fourth highest total ever paid for a townhouse in New York City, the Wall Street Journal noted. The 1901 mansion is located at 1009 Fifth Avenue and is the only private mansion on the street after many were torn down and replaced with apartment towers in the 1920's.
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