500 Capp Street

San Francisco, CA

Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District, 500 Capp Street is the historic home of conceptual artist David Ireland (1930–2009). A modest Italianate house built in 1886, the building became Ireland’s most important work—a living sculpture shaped over three decades of experimentation. Today, the site remains open to the public and continues his legacy by hosting exhibitions, residencies, and education programs. As both a physical archive and conceptual artwork, the house fosters intergenerational engagement around contemporary art, preservation, and social practice.

The Catalyst-supported project—Solar Light, Conceptual Legacy—will install rooftop solar panels to reduce the site’s reliance on fossil fuels, improve energy efficiency, and lower utility costs by an estimated 61 percent. By integrating sustainability into the care of this unique architectural environment, 500 Capp Street models how legacy sites can meet the climate crisis without compromising artistic or historical integrity. The project also extends Ireland’s systems-oriented practice by embedding ecological responsibility within everyday operations, ensuring that the house remains as vital, radical, and forward-looking as the artist who transformed it.

Milestones

• Install rooftop solar panels at the historic David Ireland House

• Reduce annual energy consumption by an estimated 61 percent

• Lower utility costs and enhance long-term resilience

• Integrate sustainability into a conceptual artwork and public archive

• Model clean energy adoption for small, historic arts institutions