This 200,000 square foot reproduction Moorish Castle was completed in 1914 and was used as a National Guard facility until 1976. It is full of period detail including cavernous dungeon-like basements, stone staircases, sweeping corridors, and a gigantic drill court spanning almost an acre. During rioting in San Francisco in 1934, it served as both a barricade and safety point for officers.

"I have been excited about the Armory ever since I first toured it 18 months ago," says Peter Acworth, CEO and Founder of Kink.com. "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."

I thought that building would be empty forever! I had assumed it was some kind of earthquake-retrofit sacrifice zone, where the cost of fixing it was more than that of destroying it, but it was too landmarky to ever raze.

Anyway, there are some awesome pictures:

Update: Here's a history of that building written in 2000, and the nightmares that many people have had trying to develop it, mostly due to shortsighted neighborhood activists who would prefer the entire block to stay empty.