Man covers Manhattan Beach home with family photos, says goodbye

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A longtime family home in Manhattan Beach that's full of memories is being sold, but not before a final moment of glory.

Gary Sweeney covered his childhood home with pictures his father took of his family - a massive art installation and his way of saying goodbye to a house that has been in his bloodline for more than 70 years.

"My mother bought it in 1945 while my father was in Guam during World War II," he said. "It was $5,400 and it had dishes and furniture in it."

Sweeney sold the home to a developer who plans to demolish the modest structure that was originally built in 1922.

The new owner agreed to let Sweeney pay this last homage to his family and to Manhattan Beach.

Several people have stopped by to tour the home and look at the pictures - a reminder, Sweeney said, of a simpler time by the beach.

Gary Sweeney declined to disclose the selling price of the home, but it's safe to say that it was well over the original purchase price of $5,400.