Fetish porn palace the Armory to reopen as music venue

The Armory, the mammoth brick building at Mission and 14th streets that once served as a National Guard facility and is now known as the fetish porn palace of the adult film company Kink.com, will open a full-time event venue later this year after a major renovation project is completed.

The upgrades inside the building’s Drill Court space are happening under the direction of Audrey Joseph, the former president of the San Francisco Entertainment Commission who helped establish popular San Francisco nightspots such as Mezzanine and Club Townsend.

The 40,000-square-foot Drill Court, previously known as the Armory Community Center, has played host to a variety of events over the years, including book fairs, Pride parties and the American Conservatory Theater production of “Black Watch.”

“It’s large enough to accommodate a well-known touring band or DJ but intimate enough where everyone can see the stage,” she said.

In July, the British electronic music act the Chemical Brothers successfully pulled off a trial run for live music at the Armory as headliners of the Hard SF festival.

The Armory, built in 1912, served as a military induction and training center during the two world wars, and was briefly used as the city’s primary sports venue.

A growing list of state and local health regulations on adult films and websites, however, has driven many performers and film crews out of California, prompting the owner to seek out a wider range of uses for the building, including putting offices on the second and third floors.