"Six years ago, when developers offered artist Gary Sweeney "an armored truck full of money" for his childhood home in Manhattan Beach, he turned them down. Sweeney, who currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, was content renting out the old wood-paneled beach house to surfers and letting a management company deal with repairs.

But then the airline where Sweeney worked a day job as a baggage handler offered him cash to retire. He's in his 60s now, with no children and a wife whose job as a flight attendant would make traveling the world easy and affordable. On top of that, tree roots in the yard of the house at 320 35th St. were constantly mucking up the plumbing and maintenance costs were piling high. It was time to sell. Time to retire. Time to travel and make art full-time.

Eventually the developers came knocking again and offered Sweeney "two armored trucks full of money" for the property his parents purchased for $5,400 in 1945. He accepted on one condition: He would maintain occupancy of the house until the end of February in order to install and show an art project that would honor his family, their home and the close-knit community that surrounds it."