S&M Club Found Abandoned in Louisville, Ky., Under Dilapidated Historic Buildings

At first glance, the dilapidated buildings above aren't the sexiest pieces of real estate, but when you see what's been hiding underneath for decades, your interest will surely be aroused.

A demolition crew preparing rundown historic buildings in Louisville, Ky., for interior demolition uncovered an abandoned sado-masochistic swingers club that has sat empty since at least the mid-1990s underneath the buildings, local TV station WHAS 11 reported.

"This is the weirdest I've ever found," project superintendent Greg Harris told the station of the cellar.

See more photos here and here.

The decaying club was found two stories below street level, filled with paintings depicting sexually explicit and violent images. One image showed a person in bondage, and another depicted a man devouring another person, according to WHAS 11. Also painted on the wall was the logo of the club, named "LATEX."

A few pieces of torture gear were also found inside, including a wooden rack with headrest and a rusted chain that can be turned by a handle with a saw blade connected to it. There was also a couch, candles and a table and chairs covered in cloth.

Those working on the redevelopment project estimated that the club dated back to the 1970s, but someone claiming to be a former LATEX founding member, who declined to be named, told WHAS 11 that the club was being used until the mid-'90s.

"A group of about eight of us decided to form an organization to promote and teach people about safe ways to practice sadomasochism," the man said. "There were a few professional dominatrixes, a few that were in committed BDSM relationships -- some gay, some straight."

The idea for LATEX -- which stands for Louisville Area Trust EXchange -- was purportedly derived from another nightclub across the street called Sparks. WHAS reported that it was there, according to another LATEX founder, that the group began hosting S&M performances and eventually moved to the now-abandoned space. It was unclear what led to its abandonment.

Those who discovered the club were working on a project to restore historic buildings along Louisville's "Whiskey Row" on Main Street downtown. The buildings have long been in decay, and developers plan to transform them into residences.

Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, the husband-and-wife duo who snapped up the buildings, have estimated that it will take $7 million to refurbish the buildings. So far, they haven't said what they will do with the underground club.

This isn't necessarily the oddest real estate discovery we've heard of. Earlier this month, the town of Parrottsville, Tenn., found 27 basketballs and other sports gear clogging a town drain. And a couple in Ontario, Canada, learned that their home was infested with bees after honey began dripping from the ceiling.

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Reader Comments (16)

by westegg - August 29th 2012 @ 1:54PM

The "devouring" image is based on an 18th century painting by Goya or Velazquez (I forget). I have a feeling the reporter was ignorant of this.

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by Becca - August 30th 2012 @ 4:52AM

yeah, it's a goya, and one of his most famous pieces. it was painted on the wall of his home, and is a depiction of the greek god saturn devouring his son, zeus.

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by ray redman - August 30th 2012 @ 4:09PM

The other was a version of 'The scream' byEdvard Munch in the 1890's.

by Connie - August 29th 2012 @ 2:32PM

BDSM is not WRONG.

by dickn2000b - August 29th 2012 @ 3:31PM

And necrophilia means never having to say you're sorry.

by Jim B - August 29th 2012 @ 2:47PM

It's not a saw blade, Graham, it's a ratchet gear, for locking the crank in place. It's two inches wide, you couldn't saw anything with that. Notice the wooden pawl for locking the gear?

by Alex - August 29th 2012 @ 4:47PM

1st rule about sex club...... DOT talk about sex club..... Sorry I just had to go there...LOL

by Will - August 29th 2012 @ 9:36PM

Dam...it's closed? Now where do I go when I visit Louisville.

by somewhat mechanical - August 30th 2012 @ 8:14PM

i find it simultaneously amusing and disappointing that the writer of this article doesn't know the difference between a ratchet a saw blade.

by A. - August 31st 2012 @ 2:19PM

Now THAT was funny! ;-)

by Steve - September 1st 2012 @ 9:34AM

S&M...I thought they were talking about Spaniards and Mexicans...

by Keith Cumbie - September 2nd 2012 @ 6:26AM

I guess now we know where Romney met Ryan!

by Stan - September 1st 2012 @ 6:49PM

Is that like Sam's club? We belong there.

by Jeff - September 2nd 2012 @ 5:24AM

The 4th and 5th pictures definitely give a "new meaning" the the phrase "you have a heck of a rack." :)

by Celtic0k9 - September 1st 2012 @ 11:45PM

Did they find graffiti scrawled on the walls that read Mitch McConnell loves Rand Paul....????

by gary destro - September 9th 2012 @ 4:42PM

wow! Wouldn't mind visiting a place like that. Too bad it's abandoned but that makes it even cooler. the 'cannibal' painting is a takeoff of an original by Goya and seems to be always used in film adaptations of Lovecraft's Pickman's model. Don't know if they have any places like this in Pittsburgh but I know my girlfriend woould . . .frownon us going there. ; )

16 Comments / 1 Pages