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The brain room of Kink.com. The folks that own the building whose front stoop is one of S.F.'s most known and still skatable spots. This is an extended version of an article I wrote that was in the last print issue of SLAP.
Peter Ramondetta, backside 5-0.
Property owners don't like us; we destroy their property, put wax on their ledges and create havoc with pedestrian traffic. But with the new owners of San Francisco's 3up 3down a new day has dawned. They respect our presence and see us as a part of the existing environment that comes with the building. We can only hope that this new enlightened attitude of this owner speads.
(photo courtesy of www.sfarmory.com)
A Kink at 3up
text and photos by Isaac McKay-Randozzi
The conflict between skater and property owner has been one of the most contentious and bitter fights in the history of street skating. Since the first packs of roaming skaters hit the suburban streets and dormant downtown financial districts of the major cities the conflict has been ever present. They don’t like us skating their property, for the most part not because of the damage but because they don’t want to be sued. In California, the state with the most lawyers, this is felt even more. Spots have been whipped clean from the faces of the cities. Here in S.F. we’ve seen this in particularly cruel fashion – Brown Marble was demolished and replaced with a wilderness of hospital green slabs of rock and functionally skate-proofed seating. Black Rock was a slow and drawn out process that continues to this day; first the installation of shrubbery around the Rock then skate stoppers along the dark heaven of the long ledge. Dozens of other spots, from the Market St. ledges to sidewalk bumps and random ledges have all felt the pains of the jackhammers and pinch of the skatestoppers.
A couple years ago one of the last old geezer spots in SF was bought, 3up 3down. Not just the steps but the entire building of the San Francisco Armory – built in 1914 to house the California National Guard. The building had been pretty much abandoned by the Guard in the late 1960’s and in 1978 was put on the National Registry after local residents made their voices heard in a singularly democratic push for landmark status. So for the past 30 years no one has paid it much attention except local homeless, drug addicts, a couple rock climbers and us. Then the internet fetish porn conglomerate Kink.com bought the building in 2006. Since then it has gone to great lengths to preserve the building and rehabilitate it as much as possible, from installing and replacing over 370 windows to repainting and cleaning each of the 150+ rooms. The Moorish styled fort made of marble, concrete, finished wood, brick and stone was built to withstand a military assault and has withstood 20+ years of constant bombardment by us and can take 200 more.
John Alden does a pre-noon manny in peace.
No one quite knew what to expect. As the local skaters guessed, pondered and scratched their asses as to what might happen; nothing did. No one said a word. Not a single sign, skate-stopper or even a bad look from the workers or visitors who walk the steps daily. Things remain as they always have. “One of the most important things to me is preserving the historical value of the Armory. The building has long been a world-class destination for skaters, and in my view that’s as important as any other aspect of the Armory’s history. We have no plans to try to change that.” – Peter Acworth, Kink.com founder and CEO.
The only hint of a shadow on this otherwise miraculous attitude is a page on the web site www.sfarmory.com created by Kink.com to showcase the Armory. It depicts a computer rendition of the building with trees and plant growth around the building, which appears to hinder the path to and from the steps and could conceivably eliminate the runway to them. When asked about the project and it hindering the skater’s path to the steps Director of Arts and Facilities Chris Gaw said, “Fuck no!” Any trees or other foliage will be close to the street, not the building. The future looks bright with this historic relationship.
Walls of the front entrance.
Front entrance
Most of the 3rd and all of the 4th floors are empty.
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Nice place to piss.
  
Padded room with observation room set.
The "bad" principal's office, complete with locking cell.
I didn't ask what went on here.
Or here.
Every home should have one.
Not really sure if these were used for.
First thing I saw when I walked into their "tool shed".
Tools of the trade at Kink.com.
X marks the g-spot.
In the sub-basement is the old gun range and Mission Creek. A small underground stream that flows under the Mission District and exits near 3rd and Army.
The walls show the years of use and decay.
Old fuse box, maybe installed when the building was first built.
Decades of water damage have decayed portions of the floor.
Mission Creek.
On the far end from the creek.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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