A gentleman's agreement that dates back to 1998 became a formal agreement between the Chicago Hellfire Club ( CHC ) and the Leather Archives & Museum of Chicago.
The announcement was made May 23 during a private cocktail party at International Mr. Leather ( IML ), held at the Congress Plaza Hotel and attended by about 300 club members and/or guests, and officially signed by CHC president David Katzenberg and Chuck Renslow on behalf of the museum.
Moments earlier, the group toasted the announcement.
"We're very happy with the agreement, and really want to thank [the museum] for preserving our history because who knows in 10 years, or 20 years or 40 more years, what's going to happen with our club or the leather community as a whole," Katzenberg said.
The CHC is paying for space at the museum, though terms of the deal were not announced.
"In 40 years, someone can come in and say, 'Wow, I didn't know this or that about the club,' and more," said Katzenberg, who noted that the museum will store club minutes from past meetings, decades-old pictures, the logo creation, and more.
Only a portion of the CHC archives will be open to the public at the museum.
"I think it's a fantastic [agreement]," said Rick Storer, the museum's executive director. "The Chicago Hellfire Club has an amazing collection of history, and now they are doing things to ensure that their history remains safe and accessible for a very long time.
"I'm really excited to see this happen."
The formal agreement was about 18 months in the works, Storer said, though CHC has sought historical assistance from the museum dating back to the 1990s when the CHC clubhouse suffered repeated flood damage. Water and mold damage impacted a portion of the CHC records, Katzenberg said.
The CHC Collection contains 145 archival boxes, a five-drawer flat filing cabinet containing posters and artwork, eight framed items and five original Inferno banners, totaling about 210 linear feet. Much of the collection is arranged chronologically, specifically organizational records, newsletters, financial reports and Inferno records.
"Years ago, there was a top, a bottom and someone who is versatile," said Katzenberg, 46, who lives in Uptown, works as a facilities manager and has been a CHC member for 18 years. He is in his second year as CHC president and been a club officer for 12 years.
"Now there are [so many more terms, such as] top, bottom, puppy, slave, and more.
I think we've been able to adapt to everyone's needs."
The CHC has, no doubt, been impacted by the Internet, though Katzenberg warns, "The difference is, 'We are the experienced players. We believe in safe, sane, consensual play."
When asked about the club's stance on trans men, Katzenberg said CHC's anti-trans stance is changing. "We are an evolving group," he said. "We allow trans men to come to parties, come to Inferno, if they are sponsored. We don't allow them to be members, yet, but we are an evolving group." That was not the case as recently as three years ago."