Last year, in anticipation of a possible California law mandating that condoms be used in
porn, the BDSM smut giant Kink.com, which is headquartered in the SF Armory, moved some of its shooting and office operations to Las Vegas. But after a hard fight against the bill, legislation prompted in part by two Kink.com porn performers who contracted HIV, though likely off set, AB 1576 died in the California State Senate's Appropriations Committee. A full-on move to Vegas was off, and Kink could keep doing its kinky thing.
But, according to the SF Business Times, Kink.com is still likely to turn its iconic home into office space for rent. The company will probably receive approval just before Prop M, an office space cap in the city, is enforced.
Kink is one of nine employers slated for approval amidst a boom in demand for offices within city limits. San Francisco adds 875,000 square feet to the office space pool every year, a limit it is expected to hit by year's end. The Business Times speculates that Kink's conversion is financially motivated, with office space tempting to potential investors. It's also possible the condom law could rear its head again especially after two porn models contracted HIV on set in Nevada last fall, reigniting the debate and the possibility that Nevada will enact its own law.
Meanwhile neighborhood leaders who advocated for Prop M, passed twenty years ago, have defended the law which does force businesses like Kink and others to compete for the right to work in the city. The goal: keep San Francisco development balanced, with lots of space left over for housing.
There remains plenty of room in the historic 1914 building for all kinds of activity — from shooting films to a onetime impromptu shooting gallery (it was video of folks illegally firing guns in the Armory basement that set in motion Acworth's arrest for cocaine possession). But now guests on the popular Armory tour might expect to see techies tied to computers rather than — well, use your imagination, or better yet, the internet.
