The early twentieth-century home at 5949 Beechwood Avenue has been occupied by many Irvington families over the decades. One of the earliest families to dwell in the large two-story home was Elmer E. and Alice Holloway, who set up housekeeping here in 1907. Mr. Holloway was a piano tuner by trade, but may have been connected with the Holloway family who developed land along Arlington, Beechwood, Webster, and Catherwood Avenues. Lots sold in that area in 1910 were built in "Holloway's Addition." Mrs. Holloway stayed home and raised their two children Edward and Dorothy.
Further research is needed on the Holloways and other families who set up housekeeping here. By 1957, the McCleery family moved in and would remain for ten years before building a brick ranch home next door at 5945 Beechwood Avenue. After living at 317 South Arlington Avenue since the 1940s, Lee and Jane McCleery decided that it was time to move from that busy street. Mr. McCleery worked for the International Harvester Corporation. Many households along Beechwood hosted Harvester employees in the mid-twentieth century.
In the winter of 1957, someone from the McCleery family documented their property on Beechwood after a snowstorm. These beautiful photos show the home on a large wooded lot. Many of the trees still stand in 2013. The third photo, reveals the home on a spring day c1960. Mr. McCleery would later partition the lot so that he and his wife could live in a brand new one-story home next door. The final photo shows the home in the summer of 2013.
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| Beautiful snowfall: 5949 Beechwood Avenue in the winter of 1957 |
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| The McCleery home at 5949 Beechwood Avenue in 1957. Beyond the home you can see a glimpse of the Kile home, which used to stand under the Kile Oak. |
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| The McCleery home at 5949 c1960 |
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| 5949 Beechwood Avenue in 2013 |
The historic images are courtesy of Chuck McCleery.
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