A proper farewell
Gary Sweeney in front of his family’s house. Photo The stairs his father built so his mother, who contracted polio while working as a nurse, could walk up more easily. The single shower that he shared with his parents and sister. The magnolia tree, a gift to his father from the PTA, that grew from a sapling to a two-story tree. The house at 320 35th Street holds a lot of memories for Gary Sweeney. It was where his parents brought him home from the hospital in 1952 and where he lived until he went off to college. But now that his parents are gone, he’s decided to let go of the almost century-old house, which he says is in constant need of repair. He’s sold it to a developer who will tear it down and build a three-story building with two condos on the 30- by 90-foot lot. “I’ve already apologized to all the neighbors,” said Gary, some of whom he’s known since childhood. “Trust me, I’m very conflicted about this. It’s very bittersweet.” But in the meantime, Sweeney, an artist, has rented the house from its new owner to pay tribute to his father and the house with an installation that will be up through February. The front of the Sweeney house with the magnolia tree that Mike Sweeney…
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