The Armory, which was previously the headquarters of pornography company Kink.com, officially received its full entertainment merit from the San Francisco Entertainment Commission last Tuesday after a 4-to-2 vote.
Located in the Mission District of San Francisco, the venue – a massive space that appears to be somewhat out of space, as it resembles a giant castle – is well known in the porn industry but has been working over the course of the past few months to transition from a porn studio into a full-time music and event venue. With this new permit, The Armory will have to complete more soundproofing guidelines and hire security guards for crowd control before and after the event.
The transition from studio to venue has not settled well with the venue’s neighbors; of the four events thrown at The Armory this past February, three did not have permits and caused huge disturbances to residents and businesses in the surrounding neighborhood. Interestingly enough, none of these events walked away with any citations – which may have something to do with the fact that the Kink events director, Audrey Joseph, is one of the Entertainment Commissioners for the city. Her connection suggests a bias on the vote for the permit, as many have speculated that the venue would not have even been able to receive a permit for their events without her impact.
To get an idea of what The Armory is all about, check out this clip from The Chemical Brothers’ performance at the venue.
H/T: MissionLocal.org