A site within the Phoenix Mountains Preserve raises a lot of questions about its history. It’s the multi-level foundation of an historical restaurant in Phoenix (at least, in the context of the history of Sunnyslope Village) known as “Cloud Nine”, or “Cloud 9″, long-since leveled. Cloud Nine is considered a landmark from the early 1960′s, visible throughout much of Phoenix at the time due to its elevated perch about half-way up the south side of Shaw Butte in north-central Phoenix. The edges of the roof were lined with multiple neon tubes that caught the eye on many trips around town.
There’s very little information to be found about the restaurant. Few people seem to remember it and even fewer (none that I’ve talked to) had actually been there. A trip to the Sunnyslope Historical Society yielded little except that it was owned by a gentleman named Dick Barker, whose son still lives somewhere in the Valley and would no doubt be able to share a lot of information about it. Some photos in the file kept at the museum show, presumably,members of the Barker family at the site before construction with Phoenix visible in the background, but no pictures exist of the restaurant in its prime. There’s also a clipping of a Clay Thompson column from the Arizona Republic newspaper with only a short snippet on the history.
According to the curators at the Society’s museum – who said EVERYBODY wants to know about Cloud Nine- customers would bang on a pipe down at the base of the mountain (?) and Mr. Barker or someone would come in a four-wheel-drive vehicle to shuttle them to the restaurant, and back down again after their evening pleasures.
There also remains a tower at the north end of 15th Avenue, at the entrance to the Preserve, the only evidence remaining of what is said to have been a tram that might also have ferried people or, at least, supplies up the mountain.
An article from the volumes of the historic “Sage” newspaper at the Museum discloses that the restaurant was destroyed by fire in the early hours of November 8, 1964, and was never rebuilt. The City of Phoenix took title to the property through condemnation in the early 70′s, part of the preservation of the Phoenix Mountains.
The hike to the site and then on to the top of Shaw Butte is a favorite of mine and Patti’s on weekends throughout the year, with great panoramas of all parts of Phoenix and its surrounds.
Any further information that anyone can share about this landmark would be appreciated by simply entering comments below. It would be a shame for that part of Phoenix history to fade away with no more than this hint as to its existence.
For some forum comments regarding the site, go here.
—
A shout out to Richard Allen of Gemland.net, the source of the photos in this post.
Tags: cloud 9, phoenix history, shaw butte
-
Good research! I have gone to the Library and tried to find out some and didn’t come up with much, other that the reference to it burning down. Also talked to the Parks Department, but they only had the basics.
I would like to know more about the place, and see some pictures, as it has become a “pilgrimage site” of sorts, it seems.
Maybe we can get some dialogue going? -
A friend of my father’s claimed to have been up there several times. He said there was also some type of illegal gambling at the resturant. Apparently any time a vehicle (other than the only shuttle) made its way up the hill the machines were stashed away somewhere….just what i heard…..
-
I’ve done my own research and came up with essentially the same as what you found. However, I did speak to two different folks who told me they used to go there in the 60′s. One guy, who was a Wal-mart greeter told me of a time he went to Cloud Nine to drink.
Just as you wrote, a jeep came down and picked him up. He told me he only remembers the driver stopping along the way and taking out a bat and beating the snot out of a rattlesnake on the side of the road. The old man laughed as he told me this story, but couldn’t remember more.
I’m going to do some research on that name you provided regarding Barler’s son. Have you tried to contact him?
-
Thanks for your comments. I haven’t contacted the Barker family. I’d be appreciative of any additional info you could furnish.
-
I am forever indebted to you for this ionrfmatoin.
-
-
I went hiking up there one time and I actually met the son. He showed my boyfriend and I pictures and newspaper clippings. It was great. He says he hikes up there about twice a year and he tells anyone who asks the story about his fathers restaurant, which had originally been built as their house. You should see what you could do to contact him.
-
I looked in my 1958 phone book and Cloud 9 was not there yet. I did eat at the restaurant with my mom and her boyfriend who worked at the Westward Ho and then later at the Executive Towers as a doorman, bellhop. He sent a tremendous number of visitors to Cloud 9. At the time we went there, a jeep came down and drove us up. I vaguely remember the interior, I think it had wood paneling. When it came time to leave, the owner presented the boyfriend with a bill and he got so mad he would not send customers there anymore. I’m sure it hurt business a lot. Local residents that lived south of the place still talk about the large blue neon sign that must have been visible from a long way off.
-
Excellent info! Thanks!
So, the boyfriend expected to be ”comp“ed due to all the patrons he sent there? That’s reasonable.
It wasn’t so much a sign, as I recall, but neon tubes lining the rim of the roof. Yes, visible to me a long way off. Cool!
-
-
does anyone know where we can find some pictures of when the place was still standing?
-
I think at the Sunnyslope museum they had a newspaper with a photo of the site with the family up there before the restaurant was constructed. But none other to be found in the public domain. A commenter above said she met the son on the mountain, and he was only too happy to talk about it and did show some pictures.
One of these days I’m going to look him up and try to post some pictures here.
-
-
I’ve written an article about the Cloud 9 Restaurant that appears on page 40 of the just-released July 2009 issue of Phoenix Magazine. If the article is added to the publication’s website, I’ll add a link to it on this blog.
The article was written with the assistance of one of Richard Barker’s sons, who requested anonymity for the story. He’s a sharp and very entertaining person. He was very young when the Cloud 9 was in operation and has lost many of the photos he had of the restaurant.
If anyone has any photos of the Cloud 9 before it was destroyed, or even any recollections of the place, he would be very appreciative of a copy of the image and/or to hear stories about the restaurant. I’ll be glad to pass on any images and/or information, my email address is
douglas [dot] towne @ prodigy [dot] netHope you enjoy the article….
-
Here’s the link to the article: http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/history/200907/cloud-of-suspicion/
-
Excellent article, Doug! Thanks very much for that. It’s info that I’ve been seeking for a long time, since the image of the neon lights on the roofline of the restaurant holds a place in my memory, as well as my on-going life with hikes up the mountain. Now, like Barker, I can move on to other mysteries!
Steve
-
-
-
I remember cloud 9 very well.
We moved to Cox Meadows 1961 Cactus Rd and Black Canyon Highway, now I 17 freeway. We could see the lights of the restraunt at night.
After it closed down we too used to hike up the face of the mountain to look at the ruins. A lot of broken glass quite a mess I remember a large empty pool.
We stopped going there after a friend of mine and I were stopped at gun point and detained for a few hours, the drunk deranged man was hidding in the curtains with an M1 Garand rifle, that would not let us leave until the police showed up hours later. I don’t remember any part of it burned down. Just broken windows and all run down. That SOB pressed charges against us for tresspassing and breaking windows(which we never did). Two kids I was probably only 10 years old held at gun point for hours Don’t know why he was up there guardng the place it was a dump and in ruins. Bitter man out to punish or hurt any one that came there. -
Continued fom aove:
In defense of the guy (it must have been Barker). That place was tore up when I was there it was probably 1964. It looked like it had been out of business for some time and kids had been vandalizing the place, he was mos likly just trying to save it? I dont think kids were the cause of the damage I saw about 1/2 the windows were broke glass down the side of the mountain, pool full of glass an furniture it was a mess.
I remember him calling his wife from an old 2 way radio to send the police both of us kids were scared and pissed our pants waiting for the police to arrive.
Police told us we were lucky, some kids were hurt bad trying to run away from him and fell down the mountain.
Ken -
Is there any computer animation of this sight? That would be the best bet of any good pics of what it was really like to look at the big 9 sign from any place in phoenix in 1962. It would be cool to see color hi def pics of Cloud 9 like is was in its prime. Its just an idea, I don’t know how hard it would be to do something like this or how much money it might take. I really wish I could have seen the it in person but I was born in 1971. This would be the next best thing I think.
-
Animation would be great (like this one done for the former “Ship Rock”, Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home that also burned down, the remains of which were always a subject of my fascination. video: http://bit.ly/b2DX9Q pics: http://bit.ly/cJNmL2 )
But, it would require someone with a vivid memory of the place (not many remaining, as these comments would indicate) and a good animator.
-
-
I truly wish I could have seen this great place in real life. I know that it would be hard to find someone with a vivid memory of cloud 9, but if there is any way to do animation with this old sight even just the outside of the building would be great for the sunnyslope village, and all the pepole that want to see what the cloud 9 looked like in its prime. Admin great pics of the ship rock house tour, thanks.
-
Can’t believe I stumbled across this page today. Had some idle time and thought I’d try to find out what the old foundation used to be at the top of the mountain I had hiked up so many times as a boy. Back around 1977, when I was six years old, we moved to a house on Canterbury drive (Central & Thunderbird, just south of the entrance to the paved road that leads up to that area.
I just wanted to add that well into the 1980′s hang gliders used to launch off the mountain to the west, right from the area where the restaraunt used to be. Does anyone know the history of when hang gliding was finally banned from the site?-
I don’t know that hang-gliding was banned anywhere on the mountain. I’ve seen gliders flying up above the mountain within the past month or so. They need a vehicle to transport them up to the top (where the towers are), and I’ve seen vehicles enter the gate at the bottom, off of Central. If they are “banned” anywhere, it could be from the Cloud Nine site, but I don’t know why they would. I think that launching from the summit is preferable anyway. Thanks for your comment to the blog! sagronek
-
-
Yes you are right – according to the local hang gliding club’s website, Shaw Butte is still an active and popular launch location. I haven’t lived in that neighborhood for many years and I guess I never look up when I’m visiting my parents there. One other correction – Canterbury is north of the mountain, not south!
The Cloud 9 runs are not at the very top of the mountain by the radio towers. But at the top, there is another old building foundation. I wonder if that had something to do with the restaraunt or its owner, or if it’s a separate piece of history.
-
Anything up top, I would think, has only to do with transmission towers or other official business. No drama to be found there, I’ll bet.
-
I remember Cloud 9. My Mom worked there! I was born in 1958, she worked there when I was a baby, I remember the night it burned down too. I remember seeing the fire, I know it was it the early 60, but I was to young to know for sure what year that was. My Mom has told me about the place, how the owner would drive down in a little jeep and pick up the employees and customers and take them to the top. She also said that he was having money problem and that the restaurant had a big problem getting water. He was going to put in a lift to take people up but it only got as far as the poles before the place was destroy. I’m not sure if my Mom still has pictures of the place, I do remember the front being round with big windows. I grew up on 9th ave just 3 block south of Peoria in Sunnyslope. I went to Mountain View and also Sunnyslope High School. My Mom still live in Sunnyslope off of 17th Ave and Peoria.
-
Thanks for the memories! The “lift” project explains the towers that were erected and remained (though they may be gone themselves by now!) If your Mom has any memories, photos or artifacts from those days it would be great adding them to this memorial! Thanks again!
-
-
i grew up in the late 50′s and early 60′s just down the hill on 15 ave, went to mountain view school from 1st thru 6th grade.
we used to attend a little church at the foot of 19 ave, and after church my brother and i would hike over to cloud 9. this was about 1960, and what i remember, it was never open for business, i don’t know if because it was day time or Sunday, but there was a man there who was very nice, and he would let us look at phoenix threw the submarine periscope they had.
back then there were a lot of space between sunnyslope and phoenix, lots of citrus groves, and to the west john Jacobs farms where we picked cotton, grapes and watermelons, 4 for a dollar.
i also remembered that he drove a citron, first one i have ever seen
25 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://www.sagronek.us/2008/04/cloud-9-restaurant/trackback/