Online festish company
buys San Francisco Armory building

By Jeremy Lipps, Bay City News Service

January 9, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - Internet fetish company Kink.com announced it has purchased the State Armory and Arsenal and plans to revive it as a production studio.

The deal was closed on Dec. 29 at the cost of $14.5 million and was bought from Bak K Mortgage.

The 200,000 square foot reproduction of a Moorish castle was completed in 1914 and served the National Guard until 1976, Kink.com reported.

In 1978 the armory, located at 1800 Mission St., was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been out of use since then.

"I have been excited about the armory ever since I first toured it 18 months ago,'' Kink.com founder and CEO Peter Acworth said. "It is a historic monument with amazing character and I believe it has wonderful potential as a movie production studio. The building has not been used in 30 years and I look forward to an exciting restoration project and helping revive San Francisco's movie industry.''

Kink.com plans to pursue mainstream movie deals with companies that wish to use the site, which Kink.com believes will help bring jobs to the community, Kink.com reported.

The Moorish design of the building incorporates many period design details that lend themselves to Kink.com's core business of fetish films.

Such details include cavernous dungeon-like basements, stone staircases, sweeping corridors and a gigantic drill court that covers almost an acre, Kink.com reported. Kink.com intends to use the building for its core business of making adult fetish movies for internet distribution.

Filming in the new building could begin immediately but is tentatively planned to begin in the next few weeks, Kink.com spokeswoman Cat Rich said.

The film company now shoots about 10 scenes a week, 52 weeks a year and with four new sites launching this year they expect production to increase through the year, Rich said.

Long term plans for the site also include an attempt to obtain an assembly permit for the drill court to be open for events and fundraisers, the film company reported.

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