There are several restaurants in Phoenix that provide a stunning view in addition to a meal. The Compass Grill, Orange Sky at Talking Stick, and A Different Pointe of View all offer panoramic vistas in addition to gourmet entrees. But back in the 1960s, there was just one choice for scenic dining: Cloud Nine.
Located on the southwest slope of Shaw Butte in the Phoenix Mountains, Cloud Nine was a small, family owned restaurant that operated from January 21, 1961 through November 8, 1964. Though it was in business for only a short while, the restaurant and its legacy endure to this day.
The primary source of information on the Internet about Cloud Nine Restaurant appears to be an article written by Douglas Towne for the July 2009 issue of Phoenix Magazine. It has the most complete history of the restaurant with names and dates, and has been cited by many other websites and blogs. I will summarize it here, briefly.
A Brief History of Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine was originally built in 1958 as a private residence by Richard and Barbara Baker, who turned it into a public dining room in early 1961. The restaurant was open from 5pm to midnight, and offered excellent views of the city.
Dining at Cloud Nine was a unique experience. Due to the steep nature of the road and the limited parking, patrons were shuttled to the top in either a Land Rover or a Mercury Voyager station wagon. The restaurant was destroyed in a fire in 1964 and was never rebuilt.
How to Visit the Ruins
The ruins of the restaurant are accessible today, and are part of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Hikers can follow Trail 306, which is a 4-mile loop of moderate difficulty that goes to the summit of Shaw Butte and passes by the foundation of the old restaurant. A set of concrete steps, a stone wall, and a semi-circular concrete foundation are all that remain of this once great restaurant.
22 comments:
Love the Phoenix history. Great article!
The fact that young men with small cars like my VW and others were hired to drive the Guests up and down the mountain. Unfortunately, I understand that we scared them old timers so they got rid of us.
Sonny & Cher made an early appearance here. I remember my buddy filled at the keyboard for them. We were in are mid teens then. I can still remember Cher flash by me on the way to the stage,
Great story :-)
That's great! I was up there today :-)
i plan on visiting my dads property in march 2019
dad owned the property knowen as cloud nine.
have a few pics from back then.
truely was amazing looking over phoenix when i was there when it was intact.
"i plan on visiting my dads property in march 2019
dad owned the property knowen as cloud nine."
Are you Richard Baker? If so, I'd love to talk to you about Cloud 9 and it's history. Any original old pictures would be awesome. I'm very intrigued by this modern day ruin. As I type this, I'm in process of editing a video from my last hike up there a few weeks ago. I'm adding commentary but only based on my observations and what's online. Would love to know more details.
I believe the family name is Barker...no Baker. I grew up in Phx.and was acquainted with a family member.
I lived at the bottom of the mountain, on 16th Avenue and shangrila on the corner. I remember seeing the restaurant in full operation. It glowed at night with the light coming from the windows. I also remember the night it caught on fire. I was just a kid back then, but I remember.
That's so cool. I wish I was older that way I would've been alive while it was intact.
Do you have pictures of it before the fire i remember looking at it and saw thelight of it pictures are hard to find thank you
I've hiked up Shaw Butte countless times and stopped by the remains of this historic Phoenix landmark and was amazed at the determination and tenacity of the persons who built it. From the remnants, I guessed it was some kind of restaurant or similar venue in it glory days days but wasn't sure.
At the time I didn't know it's history but with the help of the internet and this article I now know it was the Cloud 9 Restaurant. So thank you for posting this thread. Such an amazing feat of design and ingenuity by Mr and Mrs Barker.
Sadly I once caught a couple of vandals spray painting graffiti and destroying what's left of this great piece of Phoenix history. It's heart wrenching when selfish and misguided individuals ruin what's left of a truly historical landmark.
The elements will take it toll naturally but until then criminals need to leave it alone so others can see and ponder its legacy.
I grew up at 35th and cactus. Throughout the 70s.my friend Steve Sutton and I slipped away from home during our summer break between 4th and 5th grade and climed the sowth westside. No trail. Set up there till near dark. Huge mistake. Got a memorable thrashing and what I remember to be my first grounding. Haha back when kids were reasonably disciplined. One of the best memories of the decade. We never found the legendary cash register but the experience was priceless.
I threw the Arizona Republic in 1964-65. On weekends we would sometimes ride our bikes after delivery, from 36th and Glendale, then push them to the top. It was a white knuckle coast to the bottom. One step off-road would guarantee a cholla party.
I watched it burn down from my parents kitchen window. It was a favorite place to hike to and bringing lunch atop Cloud Nine and then finding caves with bats. On one of our trips down we came across a Desert Tortoise who had a hole drilled into his shell. We took him home were we took care of him in our yard for years.🥰🥂☮️
I lived in the house at 1335 W. ShangriLa Rd. from 1965 until 1970.
I was 4 when my parents bought the house and 10 when we moved to Texas and I can tell you that as a kid that mountain, the restaurant ruins, surrounding area were the most amazing and mysterious "playground" a kid could want. I didn't learn the whole backstory until almost 40 years later when I was doing research for my website. My parents just said there was a restaurant but it burned down. I'm 60 now and have gone back a few times over the years. Looking back through my childhood that period was and still is the my favorite time. Those mountains really became a part of my soul and still call me back now and again.
My 6 year old and I climbed up there this weekend. It was soo cool learn more about it.
As I have read some on cloud nine
There is so much more to the story
Dad owned the property
Dick built place to live then as a restaurant
Used plywood that was from large advertisement signs that Nancy Ragan lobbied to have taken down
Dick was able to secure sheets of plywood which was one inch thick
Road was blacktopped from sale of small lot to place tower site for 100000.00
This was my childhood. I lived on 16th ave three houses from shangrala. My friends and I would climb the mountain several times each summer. I have great memories of the mountain. I always wanted to know the story of the restaurant. I would love to see pictures of the exterior.
David Barker was a friend of mine from grade school at Mt View Grade School in Sunnyslope. We would go into his dad's room with "Danger Radioactivity" written on the door; a sort of cave blasted out of the side of the mountain, and enjoy the electronics gear in there. He was the oldest of the boys. A wonder with mathematics. He took me with him to load records into the juke boxes his dad owned, and I watched him repair his dad's pin ball machines. Many fascinating stories in my memory of him and of Cloud Nine. Wish I could see David again! I talked to him on the phone when he was back from his time spent as radio operator during the Vietnam war. He told me he had married a Vietnamese girl and had an appliance repair shop in Phoenix. Asked me to come see him. I was a newlywed--never got around to it. I regret that. Wish I could see him now! Norm. David's friend from Mountain View Grade School.
The picture that is said to be of Barbara Barker and her husband, Richard Barker is a picture of Barbara Barker and her oldest son, David Barker. David and I were friends in Mountain View Grade School. I was up there with him on "Cloud Nine" many times. Norm.
Rich, I'm doing a story about the history of Cloud9 for my youtube channel. I'd love to interview on it. nakpro76@gmail.com 602-717-2768- Nathan
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