>From the New York Post (of course):
TYCOON'S SON LETS GUESTS BE 'KINK' FOR A DAY
By RICH CALDER
July 19, 2004 -- THE scion of one of the country's richest families is running a secret sex vault where gay men live out their S&M fantasies atop a ritzy family-friendly building in Manhattan. H. Richard Quadracci, the son of a billionaire printing-company mogul, has been quietly masterminding the private, kinky sex club from his penthouse condo in Gramercy Park, a Post investigation found.
Quadracci, 40, has set up guest rooms for paying customers that connect to a 1,000-square-foot "playroom" equipped with a cross, bondage boards, harness power hoists and other X-rated paraphernalia, his club's voyeur-friendly Web site boasts.
Guest rooms at the "The Winter Palace" club on East 20th Street rent for $60 an hour, $300 a night, and credit cards are accepted, the club's Web site says. Supplies such as ropes, blindfolds, restraints, condoms and cleaning materials are accessible for a fee.
If someone does not have a date, the club arranges encounters with "trusted professionals" from the S&M community.
One pro, Master Justice, said in an e-mail obtained by The Post that he charges $200 an hour for his time which is separate from The Winter Palace's fee. Justice's personal Web site says his price is the same whether it's to "have amazing sex or play a nice game of checkers."
"The Winter Palace absolutely rocks," said Master Justice, also known as XXX J. Stephen, in his e-mail. "TWP is not a bar, or a club, or a bathhouse, or a back room, or a boy house, and you can't just show up. You have to book time in advance, either directly or through an associate like me, or receive an invite to an event there."
The three-level, X-rated operation which includes the rooftop is equipped with dozens of cameras that route steamy images to screens throughout the club and the Internet, according to the Web site and Master Justice.
Quadracci is the son of the late Harry Quadracci, founder of the largest privately owned printing company in North America, Quad/Graphics. The Wisconsin based-company had $2 billion in sales last year. It prints catalogs for Victoria's Secret and other companies, as well as many magazines including Time and Newsweek.
He did not return phone messages seeking comment, and his lawyer was unavailable for comment.
Claire Ho, a spokeswoman for Quad/Graphics, said the company would not comment on Quadracci's actions because it has "no relationship corporately" with him.
A man answering the phone at The Winter Palace on Friday said it was "a private residence" but declined to allow The Post to tour the penthouse. Three days earlier, when a reporter made an anonymous inquiry, a man answering the same line declined to discuss details about the business, saying he would not speak to anyone who did not have a referral.
Quadracci is operating his vault from a posh 12-story condominium complex on East 20th Street nestled between Broadway and Park Avenue. The building is located in a historic district and faces the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt across the street. Its residents include many families, some with young children.
"Certainly people in the building are aware of what is going on to a limited extent and are uncomfortable with it," said a building resident who wished to remain anonymous.
The resident said he regularly sees "guys" head up to Quadracci's apartment, including two "regulars" whom he described as "nice and polite."
Mark Freyberg, a lawyer for the corporation set up to manage the building, said that if the details on the Web site were true, he would "get a court order to put a stop to it because the building does not permit anything like that."
Freyberg added that Quadracci is already at odds with building management because he has taken over more space than he's entitled to particularly the rooftop.
A copy of his condo's deed shows Quadracci agreed that its "intended use" would be "residential" and that it consisted of the 11th floor and penthouse. The document does not address roof use.
City zoning law prohibits sex-oriented dance clubs, theaters, bookstores and video stores from operating within 500 feet of schools, residences, houses of worship, or of any other X-rated business. The law, however, does not deal with sex-oriented businesses that deal in adult equipment and paraphernalia like whips, hoods and slings.
Jennifer Givner, a city Buildings Department spokeswoman, said her department could not say whether the activity in Quadracci's penthouse violates zoning regulations unless a building inspector visits the site.
Robert Pugsley, a criminal-law professor at the Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, said after viewing the Web page, "It's probably not criminal but it's as close as you can get without crossing the line.
"Unless more money is put into law enforcement to catch these people in a criminal act like prostitution or solicitation, there is little that can be done," he said.
Brian Dauth Queer Buddhist Resister